One Step at a Time
by ramfan
Summary: OC. In a stunning coming-of-age tale, follow the story of one courageous young woman and the people who changed her life forever. Rated T for language and some content. Story is completed; come check it out!
1. Chapter 1

** Before you begin reading, I just want to explain a few things about this story that I have worked so hard to develop.**

** For starters, it doesn't revolve around characters from the show such as the Shannon family, Commander Taylor, Mark Reynolds, and Alicia Washington. Though I do mention people like Taylor once or twice, this is by no means a story from their perspective. Instead of playing up the (in my opinion) over-used romance between Maddy & Mark, a secret romance between Washington and Taylor as I've seen so many times before in fan fiction, or anything else, I decided to create my own characters. I wanted to make the story my own; something I could control and have complete choice over what happens next every step of the way.**

** Also, it may seem like the chapters and writing go on for years. On Microsoft Word, the chapters range from 3 pages in length to just over 9 pages, though most are an average of 7-8.5 pages long.**

** Another thing I've noticed with most of my writing; I try to be very detailed with my descriptions of people, settings, & events, and it may mean that an entire day can take two or three bulky chapters to get through. One chapter alone might take place over the span of only a few hours. A good example of this would be how I've written likely 50+ pages and am in the process of writing chapter 13 but I am only on the family's third day in Terra Nova (as of 3-22-12).**

** Please do not expect any sex scenes and please do not expect much cursing apart from the occasional word.**

Chapter One

As I rounded the corner down the dusty, cold hallway, I zipped up my black vest almost all the way up, leaving just a few inches unzipped at the top. This was partly to stay warmer, and partly as a preemptive way of keeping the vest in my possession if I were to get mugged just one floor below my own home, in this dirty, garbage-filled hallway. My vest was filled with _real _down feathers, making it a rare commodity in a world where most natural flora and fauna are non-existent, killed out by humans. People were more and more willing to do just about anything to put food on the table for their family, even if it means mugging a fifteen-year-old girl. It had cost us nearly four thousand dollars to attain.

Taking in a deep breath through my reBreather, I coughed as the particles of pollution that weren't filtered out reached my lungs. The air was getting worse and worse each day, and even a reBreather wasn't doing much to filter the air. Something made a loud, metallic_ bang! _behind me somewhere as I hurried up the concrete stairs to the next floor. When I got to the door of our apartment, fifth from the stairs, I slid an entrance key into the slot and let myself into the main room, a small space that acted as entranceway, living room, kitchen, and dining room. Locking the door behind me, I pulled the reBreather off and dropped it into a basket on the floor that already contained two other reBreathers. _I guess I'm the last one home, _I thought to myself.

"Hello?" I said as I hung up my vest in a closet that was hidden behind an ugly floor-length mirror.

"Look who finally showed up," said my seventeen-year-old brother, Jacob, sitting on the sofa where he had been reading a book, "Mom said she has to tell us something important, but she wanted to wait for you to get home first before telling us." As he finished saying that, our mother came out of her bedroom.

"Good to see you," she said, sitting down across from my brother in a chair, "sit down, Adri," as I sat down next to my brother, I took in my mother's appearance. She was wearing a pale grey blouse and brownish, fitted pants underneath her crisp white doctor's coat, embroidered with her name, _Dr. Prevot_. She had close to thirty jackets exactly the same that looked like this one. Her wavy chocolate-brown hair was loose except for a small section that was pinned back with a bobby pin, making her ivory skin look even more ivory in the poor lighting of our apartment. Her grey eyes matched her shirt almost perfectly, apart from the few flecks of green around her pupils.

"I've got some news to tell you two…some news that will impact our lives permanently." My eyes widened.

"Did you lose your job?" I asked.

"No, of course not, silly. This is a good thing…something absolutely incredible, in fact." She said.

"Then what is it?" Jacob asked. Taking a deep breath, she held each of us by the hand.

"When I went into the break room to have some coffee today before work started, I saw that I had a letter in my box. It was a letter of recruitment for Terra Nova." My jaw dropped to the floor.

"Are you kidding?" my brother said, his voice cracking as it did when he was surprised, "This isn't a joke, right?" She smiled.

"No, Jacob, I'm serious. They've asked that I come on the ninth Pilgrimage."

"It makes perfect sense, though," I said, finally getting over the initial shock, "you're an optometrist, a surgeon, an OBGYN, and a dentist… you're exactly the person they need in a place like Terra Nova. I doubt that there is even an OBGYN at Terra Nova…maybe a midwife, if that." It sounded rediculous to name all her specialties, but they were key in getting us to where we were today, learning this news. She smiled and nodded to me.

"That's almost exactly what they said in the letter… they said that I am highly trained in many skills that are greatly needed there." She pulled a crisp white letter out of the inner pocket of her jacket, handing it to my brother.

"When is the ninth leaving?" Jacob asked after reading it. I took it from him and read it for myself.

"The 19th of May," she replied.

"Good god, you know today's the 16th, right?"

"Of course. What does that have to do with it?" she asked.

"You'd think that they would at least give us a two or three week's notice in advance, right?" he said.

"No, they only do that for those that won through the lottery. Those who are going because they get recruited usually aren't told until a few days before the pilgrimage leaves for their own safety," I told him. My mother nodded.

"Safety?" he asked.

"Yeah," I continued, "they don't inform the recruited people until a few days before for their own safety. If they were to tell them way in advance like the lottery winners, chances are, they'd go around telling their friends, and then chances are, they'd get murdered by someone trying to take their place for the pilgrimage. It's happened before." As the information sunk in, he started to nod, "the more valuable the person, the shorter amount of time the give them as notice before the pilgrimage date."

"Don't the lottery people still risk getting killed?" he asked.

"Yes, but the risk is much lower because they get to go by chance, not based on need… they were chosen at random, so killing them wouldn't guarantee any certain person a place in the next pilgrimage…it would be a random selection."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually." He replied, looking at our mother.

"Did you tell anyone that you got recruited, Mom?" he asked her.

"Only you two…I know the dangers of talking about such things, so I kept my mouth shut all day. I'll tell you this, thinking about going to Terra Nova made a crazy day of work a lot easier." She told us.

"Do we get to go?" I asked.

"Of course. They said that I could bring up to three people who are family by blood, and that means you two, obviously, and then if I wanted to, I could bring someone from my family- either one of my parents, or maybe even your cousin Ally, since she's orphaned." The 'Family is Four' law was passed just weeks after my mother was born in 2112, so her parents couldn't have any more children. My mom's older brother had one daughter with a girlfriend who died from the pollution when their daughter, Ally, was two. Ally's dad went through to Terra Nova when she was ten because he won the lottery, but he couldn't take her because he only won a single ticket. She lived with our grandparents ten miles outside of Chicago, while we lived in our cramped apartment in the heart of Chicago, less than a mile from Hope Plaza. At 15, Ally was only one month younger than me.

"When should we contact her?" I asked my mom.

"How about tomorrow? We were planning on going out there tomorrow anyway, so we can sit them down and explain everything to them. It also gives us the chance to express the importance of keeping quiet about it to her." she replied.

"Okay…so, then what are you going to do the next couple of days?" Jacob asked.

"I was planning to just go to work like normal, and then at the end of the day on the 18th, I was thinking I'd say goodbye to all my coworkers and then just go home. That last night we spend here could be very dangerous, mark my words. Even though there are only a few people there, I wouldn't put it past any of my fellow doctors to try to, uh, _eliminate_ me." She told him.

"So…what would happen if you got killed? Like, to us…would we still go?" I asked her.

"Of course. Since your uncle is there in Terra Nova, they would legally have no reason to deny you your places on the pilgrimage. They could get in big legal trouble…really, _really _big legal trouble." She told us. Shaking her head, she stood up.

"Let's not ask any more questions, okay? I'm going to call the recruiters and inform them of our choice. In the letter, it said that some more information will arrive in the mail tomorrow." Taking her phone out of her pocket, she climbed up the spiral staircase to our small loft that she used mostly as an office, leaving us to contemplate our futures.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_9:15, May 19__th__, 2149_

Rolling out of bed, I fumbled around blindly in the dark for the lights. When I got the lights on, I found a pair of stretchy black leggings that went to midway between my knees and ankles. Slipping on a lightweight pale grey long sleeve shirt, I zipped up my vest ¾ of the way and pulled on a pair of nude socks that matched my skin tone exactly. Sliding into my favorite shoes, a pair of slip-on grey shoes from a brand once called Vans, I slipped a few of my smallest valuables into the pockets of my vest and made sure they were securely zipped in. I took a small makeup bag that contained mascara, eye shadow, eyeliner, & some powder off a small folding chair next to my bed. Sitting in front of the mirror in the main living area, I applied the black mascara until my eyelashes looked wonderful. Using my finger, I dabbed light brown eye shadow on my eyelids. After I framing the bottom of my eyes with a line from my dark charcoal grey eyeliner pencil, I used a small, fluffy brush to even out my skin tone with the powder.

Satisfied with my appearance, I went back to my room and zipped the bag into a side pocket on my large backpack. I found my straightening spray, spritzed it through my hair, and brushed it out until my hair was ruler-straight, only a little straighter than its natural waviness and then slipped the brush and spray back into my pack. The gargantuan backpack, weighing close to forty pounds and three and a half feet tall, was stuffed to the max with the contents of my entire life; mostly clothing & shoes, close to twenty books, makeup, (lots of) photos, a music player, and a (secret) multi tool I'd acquired that had a mini-sonic blaster, knife, pliers, and various other useful things. Dragging it out into the bare living room, empty of all furniture except our smelly old couch, I lugged it onto the couch and left it there. All the lights in the apartment were off except for one or two in the main room.

In front of the couch on the floor were a couple pencils, a pen, and old photos. Strewn haphazardly in one area, my mother had been leafing through everything the night before, labeling photos that were going with us to Terra Nova. Sitting in a neat pile were the packets of information we received about Terra Nova, talking about everything, including hyperoxic shock, dinosaurs, security, terras (the currency), food, weather, housing, jobs, and schooling. There was one packet for each person, each one being nearly forty papers thick. With trees nearly completely decimated, paper was only distributed to those who it would be most handy to. Because the settlers were the ones who were saving humanity, they were considered the "paper-deserving". Each packet was laminated with special plastic so they stay good as new for use many times over. On the day of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims return the packets with their reBreathers at the transfer station.

Picking up a photo that caught my attention, I examined it. _She's 27, and he's almost 29. She has that dark chocolate-colored hair that everybody envies pulled back in a ponytail. His short blonde hair is a gold color that nearly nobody has, thanks to finicky genes. She has incredibly pale skin, ivory in color. His skin is naturally tan, not damaged by tanning beds like so many millions of others. His eyes are that vivid blue color you only see in eyes…you won't see it in a world of pollution anywhere else. He is kind of chubby, but he's 5'9", while she is small and 5'2". Her eyes are that same pale grey with green flecks. In front of them stand two kids, a boy & his little sister. They both have the same skin color; a cross between ivory and tan. The boy, who looks about seven, has dark chocolate hair and pale blue-grey-green eyes. His five-year-old sister has her dad's hair, and the same eyes as her brother. Her hair is obviously her dad's but has always been lighter. Nobody ever knew why, not even the best doctors or geneticists in the country. Her parents figured she had an ancestor with the same hair and that that's where she got it. Nobody knew that those two little kids were going to lose their dad just a few days later. He died protecting his family from thieves that broke into their little home. There were three men, each with a gun. They shot him when he tried beating one man, and got away before the police showed up. Those two little kids lost their father. The police took his body away, and nobody ever saw it again. There wasn't even a funeral; just a letter of condolence from city hall & the ashes in a small plastic jar._

"You're coming with us to Terra Nova, Dad, even if we can't take your ashes." I whispered, folding the photo in half and zipping it into an inside pocket of my vest, next to my heart. Hope Plaza had informed us that human ashes could not be taken on the pilgrimage, so we mailed his ashes to his parents who lived four hours away. I heard movement, and could see someone coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Ally," I said to my cousin as she slogged down the spiral staircase with her backpack.

"Morning," she said, smiling, "I can't believe the day's finally here."

"Neither can I. It feels unreal that last night was the last time we'll ever sleep in 2149." I replied. She dragged her backpack across the floor and placed it next to mine.

"I know. I feel bad about leaving Grandma & Grandpa behind, but they know it's for the best," she told me, "I'm ready to breathe real air, but I'm kind of afraid of the dinosaurs. What about you?"

"I'm honestly not even worried about the dinosaurs. Like, it really didn't even cross my mind as danger or anything. I know they're dangerous and all, but it never really worried me. I think that the adventure waiting for us there is too massive for me to worry about dinosaurs." I told her. Shrugging, she pulled a brush out of her pack and went to the mirror and brushed her long brown hair until it was silky & shiny. It had no variation in its texture or shape; straighter than my own and shaped along the bottom in a perfect half-oval. I examined her outfit while she twiddled around with her backpack. She was wearing an unzipped grey bomber jacket made from canvas and a tan scoop neck shirt with long sleeves. A pair of light grey leggings longer than my own accentuated her perfectly proportioned lower half, finished off with dark tan combat-style boots. Her makeup consisted of light grey eye shadow, mascara, and a short black wing of eyeliner on each eye, coming to a sharp, precise point.

"When are we leaving for Hope Plaza?" she asked, looking at me.

"At ten. The transfer doesn't begin until twelve, but it take a long time to get through security." As I finished what I was saying, my mom came down the hallway from her room dressed in a white shirt, grey pants, a tan cardigan and her favorite grey shoes, carrying her bag with both arms. She carefully sat hers down on the floor.

"You girls ready? Today's the big day!" her normally calm demeanor was nonexistent; she was like a kid on Christmas morning. Her make up was simple and clean- mascara and a bit of eyeliner, nothing more.

"Yesofcourse," our words overlapped each other as we spoke. Laughing, my mother walked over to our little kitchen, a few feet of counter space & fridge with a leaky sink sticking out of the wall, reached into the cupboard and pulled out a couple packets of powdered InstaFood & our two "for special occasions" bright red apples, each the size of a small fist.

"Are you serious, Mom?" She turned and looked at me, a little confused.

"What?"

"I thought apples were only for special occasions,"

"And going to Terra Nova isn't a special occasion?" she asked me rhetorically.

"Oh…I guess that is a special occasion." I said, smiling. _Duh. _She turned back to the food. Taking a short knife, she sliced the apples in half at the stem, cutting out the seeds. She wrapped the seeds in a square piece of cloth-like paper and put the folded packet into a small baggie that fit perfectly into her pocket.

"What's a special occasion?" Jacob said as he came out of his room, already wearing his pack. He carefully placed it on the couch next to me.

"Going to Terra Nova. That's why mom's letting us have apples today." His eyes lit up as he looked at my mom.

"We get apples?" Laughing, my mom nodded her head.

"What do you two think of my clothing choice?" he asked Ally & I, "Is it Terra Nova-worthy?" I stood next to Ally as we examined his choice of clothing. He was wearing a greenish-grey tee shirt, a pair of greyish-brownish pants, a black zip-up hoodie, and brown work shoes.

"Very practical, good for the hike to the colony." Ally said after only a few seconds.

"Good, because I didn't pick it out or anything. May gave it to me before she went to Terra Nova. She told me that there was no way Mom _wouldn't _get recruited, and she said to wear this on the day of the pilgrimage." He was talking about his girlfriend May, who went on the seventh pilgrimage a year earlier. Although our families had known each other for years and years, they had been together almost three years when she left, and she told him that she'd be waiting for him when our family came, no matter how long she had to wait. She was an absolute beauty; copper hair & sapphire blue eyes, with a perfectly symmetrical face and ivory skin. She had been the "top dog" in school; the prettiest, the funniest, and the most outgoing. She had been my closest friend after Ally. When she left, it was hard on both Jacob & I.

"We'll see her soon…by the time we go to sleep tonight in our new home, you'll have your girlfriend back. I promise." He smiled.

"I'll hold you to that, you know." I nodded, not taking him seriously.

"Okay guys, breakfast is served!" My mother carried over a tray of food and sat it on the floor. Everyone sat around the tray on the floor and took their portion of food, as we had been doing the past couple days without our small dining table. My mother had made steamed Insta-rice and sliced apples, along with powdered milk mixed with water to drink. By 2149 terms, with was a pretty good meal. The rice, our mother always told us, tasted how it did when she was a kid & people could actually buy real rice, not man-made powdered rice. This stuff was a powder you mixed with hot water and it became "edible" food.

"Eat up…we have a long day ahead of us, and we're going to need whatever nutrients this food has in it. Make sure to eat slowly so your stomach doesn't get overloaded with food. We'll be walking a lot today." She told us, and we all nodded. To eat slower, we talked a lot.

"Do we each get our own room?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"No, two people will have to share since they assume all the people come here in family groups of no more than 2 kids."

"No way, it depends on what model you get. Some only have one bedroom and some have four or five. Like, if you come alone and have nobody to live with, they'll usually put you in a two or three bedroom unit with other people coming by themselves with nobody there. Or if you're a family with two kids, you get an N7 with three bedrooms usually."

"I heard they assign houses at random based on the number of people coming."

"Either way, we'll all be together." We sat in silence, chewing the tasteless food.

"My god, is it already ten?" My mom said, looking at the clock, "come on, grab what you want to eat on the way there and get your packs. We have to go now." We grabbed whatever food from the tray we wanted and let her whisk the tray to the sink. She rinsed it quickly and left it in the sink, not concerned about doing the dishes later. We each pulled our packs on, adjusting the thickly padded straps to our liking. I snapped together the closure on the belt support around my hips to help distribute the weight more evenly.

"Take a good look at this apartment, kids…we're never going to see it again." My mom told us. We all turned and looked at the grimy space we stood in. This place held no good memories, only pain and anguish. It smelled of mold (one of the few plants still surviving) and was terribly cold. The walls were thin and uninsulated. My mother had cleaned up all the pictures on the floor and had secured them in her backpack somewhere, leaving the room empty.

"Goodbye to this hell hole," Jacob muttered.

"Agreed," both my mom and I said in unison.

"Goodbye to this hell hole of a world," Ally said.

"Agreed," Jacob and I said in unison.

I was the last one to leave the apartment. Looking behind me, I took one last glance at the world I was leaving. _Goodbye, 2149._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Stepping off the train at the arrival platform of Hope Plaza, we all joined hands as not to lose each other in the pea-soup thick crowd of frantic people. Hanging around our necks along with our reBreathers, hidden under our shirts, were our retinal scan tags, which were our identification tags used to verify who we were when going through security. They were hidden to keep them from getting snipped off by thieves or criminals. Just ten feet away behind metal barriers were people's loved ones, waving and yelling goodbye as their friends and family left. We passed under an archway and followed the yellow path markers past large containers to a long corridor of lines of people waiting to get their retinal tags scanned. We stepped into the nearest line of people waiting to get their retinal tags scanned. When we got to the front of the line after a twenty minute wait, my mom stepped up to the scanner, a dark-haired woman wearing a large headset.

"Dr. Lucille Prevot," my mom told the woman.

"Transferring with three children?" she asked.

"Yes," my mom replied, motioning to the three of us behind her.

"Hold up your tag please," the woman requested. My mom held her retinal tag up to her right eye. The woman held a small handheld device up to it and scanned a light over the tag, which was lined up with her eye. The tag beeped and turned bright blue after a moment.

"To the left, platform nine." She motioned, pointing down the corridor. I stepped up next and held the tag to my right eye.

"Name?" she asked before scanning.

"Adriana Prevot,"

"Relation?"

"Daughter,"

"Age?"

"Fifteen, ma'am," nodding, she scanned my tag until it beeped and turned green. Stepping next out the way next to my mom, we watched as Ally & Jacob were scanned in.

"Name?"

"Ally Prevot,"

"Relation?"

"Niece,"

"Age?"

"Fifteen," _Nod and scan. Ally moves next to me, Jacob steps up._

"Name?"

"Jacob Prevot,"

"Relation?"

"Son,"

"Age?"

"Seventeen," with a final beep and flash of green, we were off to platform nine for the next round of security; backpack checks & scanning. We placed our packs along the conveyor belt as they went under the x-ray type machine. Small weapons like my multi tool they wouldn't care about. This stage in the security was to check for explosives and big guns. While our packs were getting scanned, we walked through a machine that detected liquid explosives that could be inside our bodies.

Getting through that stage in security took an hour. Nearly thirty people were in line ahead of us. As we slowly moved up in line, the cold air around us froze me. It was getting harder to breathe without the reBreather on, but the extra exposure today wouldn't do much once we went through the portal. I dropped my pack on the conveyor belt as we finally got up to the front of the line.

"Okay, miss, please walk through the detector. It'll beep if there's any problem." A cheery, obviously gay security guard said to me. His hair was slicked to the side with too much gel, making it looking hard & shiny. I nodded. Walking through the doorframe-shaped detector, I had my fingers crossed, mostly that it wouldn't beep. _No beep…thank god. _

"Fabulous, you can go to the next security station. Just don't forget your backpack, and, oh, I _love _your hair! Such a chic color with the straight hair!" he said with a flourish of hand movement.

Rolling my eyes, I walked over to the conveyor belt to pick up my pack. Once I had located mine and finally gotten it onto my back and into a comfortable enough position, my family had gone through the scanners and were getting their packs.

"What's next for security?" Jacob asked as we walked away from the baggage check station.

"One final retinal scan," my mom replied, talking to everyone, "and a final baggage check and then we're good."

"How are we supposed to do that all in half an hour?" I asked, looking at a clock on the wall that was counting down until the transfer began.

"By this point in security, they've managed to weed out all the imposters. There'll only be eighty or ninety of us going through the portal since each check point in security has multiple stations, the travelers will be spread out and will make security go faster. Chances are, we'll have five or ten minutes of waiting time before we are allowed to go into the transfer room." My mom said.

"Let's get this over with, then." Ally said. We hurried on to the next line to get our retinals checked again. My mom was right; there was hardly any waiting in the line because we were down to those who were actually going. We breezed through the scanning in five minutes, and got through the bag checks in fifteen. Looking at the clock again, I saw were had ten more minutes. We were then led to the departure platform, a large metal plate with people buzzing around, getting into their correct line. A large metal fence allowed onlookers to say their final goodbyes to their loved ones while keeping them separate from the travelers, hands waving in a massive sea of people.

"Final call has commenced," a cool female voice announced to everyone, "Please proceed immediately to the departure platform." We were suddenly let forward past large bins for reBreathers.

"Please place your reBreathers in the bins provided. Your reBreathers will not be required." The voice continued. We dropped the reBreathers in the bins as we passed between them, and then were led through a large pair of doors, and down a long corridor. It was as dark as outside, even in the middle of the day. I grabbed hold of Ally and Jacob's hands, and Jacob took my mom's hand as we walked.

"Attention, phase two sequence has begun," a man's voice said, broadcasted throughout Hope Plaza, warning the people who had arrived late, while also informing us. At the end of the corridor were another set of doors. A guard stood on either side, holding the doors open for us. We were being led by more security personnel.

We entered a giant, massive room, with a ceiling more than a hundred feet above us. The cylindrical room tunneled down to a bluish-white light at least one hundred yards ahead of us. Rings of gray metal dotted with blue and white lights moved around at different speeds and directions. Metal reinforcements, pipes, and metal braces were everywhere. Two bright blue tubes to our right and one on our left pulsed like a heart. Pulsations of bright blue light pumped into the right tubes away from us, and then came towards us in the left tube and passed us.

"Portal dilation commencing in T-minus five minutes," the man's voice informed us, echoing off the cavernous walls around us. We walked slowly in rows of four. Eventually, we could see what was waiting for us: a ring-shaped structure with bright blue and white light filling the space inside the ring. It suddenly became brighter as the portal was dilated. Security was posted every ten feet. We had already passed at least twenty-five of them. Bright white lights hung above us intermittently. As we passed under each one, usually in between the guards, I felt like we were under spotlights. My grip on Jacob & Ally's hands tightened.

"Your bodies will not be accustomed to the oxygen-rich atmosphere," the woman's voice told us as we walked, "please take short, even breaths…medical care and assistance will be on hand."

"Disorientation will be expected while transferring,"

"Your eyes will not be accustomed to the bright sunlight,"

"Medical care will be on hand to provide assistance,"

We were towards the middle section of people, and began hearing a _ssswooo_, an electronic sound that meant the first people had begun going through the portal ahead of us. Each time we heard it, the light at the portal would fluctuate and brighten for a moment as each person interrupted its energy grid. The closer we got, the more the strobe-like lights messed with your eyes and warm air blew around, tousling our hair.

_Twenty feet of people in front of us._

"Please walk through the portal in a calm manner for your safety," I looked at my mom, who was biting her lip slightly. She looked at me and smiled.

_Ten feet._

"Do not be alarmed by security waiting on the other side of the portal; they are there to keep you safe."

_Five feet._

"The physical transfer of your body in the portal will take approximately five seconds,"

I could see two guards standing on either side of the portal, leading each person one at a time to within a few feet of the portal, taking turns telling them something quickly, and then the person would nod and walk out of 2149.

_No feet._

"Next!" We came to a standstill, just ten feet from the edge of the portal, nobody ahead of us except the two guards. We were next. I looked at my family, none of us sure who'd go first. Everyone looked scared. I looked at Ally. She suddenly broke away from my hand and hugged me. Looking at my mom and Jacob, she turned to the two men and walked towards them. One man held his mouth to her ear and looked like he had to yell over the sound the portal was making, a loud, constant whirring-buzz. She nodded and shook his hand quickly. Looking at us over her shoulder, she blew us a quick kiss, and turned back to the portal. She took a deep breath, and walked straight into the portal. With a near blinding flash of light, she disappeared with a _ssswooo _into the portal. _Gone just like that._

"Next!" one man said after about ten seconds. I looked at my mom and brother. Letting go of his hand, I quickly hugged them at the same time and walked to the men. The same guy who'd talked to Ally came up to me and held his hands to my ear.

"When you get there, tell Shane Finch that Isaac loves her! She's got light brown skin & hair and greyish-green eyes. She's in the military…tell her I'll be there soon!" I looked at him and nodded.

"I'll do my best!" I yelled back. He nodded and motioned to the portal just a few feet away. I stepped forward and gulped. Taking a deep breath, I walked straight into the portal, leaving behind 2149 forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

_Electricity all over._

_Blue and white, and then green and brown._

_Where the hell am I?_

Time slowed down. All around me, even under my feet, was an electric current of blue and white, blurred as I traveled 85 million years backward. It felt like forever, but it was only five seconds. Five brutally long seconds. And then suddenly, I was surrounded by bright green and brown blurs, and then I was there.

The light around me nearly blinded me. I looked around and could see through pained vision people wearing teal medical scrubs, helping the colonists who had arrived just before me. They were helping them sit down, giving them pieces of dark something-or-other to put over their eyes, and face masks for breathing. I took in a breath and instantly felt lightheaded. My body filled with some kind of euphoria I could not control. Taking in another breath, I felt my knees get weak. Just as I began to fall to the ground, two women in medical scrubs caught me under the arms and pulled me to a large rock and sat me upright. One helped keep me sitting while another strapped a mask to my face and turned it on.

"Take a deep breath sweetheart, you'll be okay," I heard one say to me. I followed her order and took in a long breath. My head instantly cleared up, along with my vision. I looked around at everything. My eyes had begun to adjust to the bright sunlight even after only a few seconds.

_Ssswooo! _Looking in the direction of the portal, I saw Jacob come through. After a second, I saw what I must've looked like when all the things around us hit me. His pupils dilated and he shut his eyes. I saw him take a breath and he coughed, nearly falling on his first breath. The woman who'd helped me sit up rushed to Jacob and pulled him aside, across a wide dirt clearing next to other people. I could sense the nurse slowly turning down the levels of carbon dioxide I was breathing.

"You'll be fine. Now I'm going to take the mask off, and you should be able to breathe, okay?" the nurse in front of me said. I could feel the lightheadedness as she pulled the mask off, but it was only a slight feeling. She got up to leave.

"Wait!" I said to her, "Where's the girl..._wheeze_…that came right before me?" The nurse looked around, and then pointed across the way to Ally, who was sitting a few people apart from where Jacob was, her pack next to the tree she was leaning against.

"There she is…do you want help over there?" I shook my head. She shrugged and flitted off to help others around me. I staggered over to Ally and sat down next to her on the ground. She had her elbows resting on her knees, with her head resting in her hands. I could see her breathing was slower than mine, a sign her body was adjusting to the oxygen around us. Reaching over, I put my hand on her shoulder, making her jump a little. She looked up at me. It took her a moment to focus and realize it was me, but then she held me in a tight hug.

"Good to see you in one piece," I told her. She nodded, smiling.

"You too…where's Jacob?" she asked. I pointed to my brother, who was sitting without any medical staff a few people away.

"Jacob," I called his name loudly, waving. He looked up and searched for who had called his name. When he saw me waving to him, he smiled and crawled over to us and sat next to Ally without much trouble.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him. He coughed while clearing his throat.

"Honestly, I haven't felt this good, well, _ever…_this is what we're supposed to be breathing, right? I mean, I feel like shit right now because I'm so lightheaded, but it can only get better from here," I laughed and nodded. Even just minutes after going 85 million years back in time, he was already back to his sarcastic self.

"Where's your mom?" Ally asked. I looked around and saw her sitting on a root not far away. She had a bewildered look in her eyes as she breathed in and out. Instead of calling out her name, we left her alone. Once her body got over the shock of this new environment, she would remember us, and would look for us.

After about half an hour, all of the new colonists had came through the portal. My mom had managed to spot us sitting our a little group and had made her way over to us. Everyone was ready to go. A soldier wearing tough-looking armor came up to our little group.

"Get your packs on…we are heading back to the colony." As he walked away, Jacob called out to him.

"Hey, how far away are we from the colony?" he asked. The soldier turned around.

"One click," he told Jacob, and walked away. Jacob shrugged, not sure how far a click was. We got to our feet and pulled on our heavy packs.

"You ready?" I looked at my mom.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I could tell she was already feeling much stronger. We all did; once our bodies had adjusted to the oxygen-rich air enough to function, we felt superhuman, like we could do anything. Somebody stood up on a rock with a bullhorn-type device.

"Okay, people, we are going to start the trip back to the colony. If you need medical assistance, we have staff to help you. We are going to be walking one click's distance, which is one kilometer. It isn't all that far, but it will be a slightly uphill hike. It'll takes us about two hours tops, depending on any problems we may run into." Everyone rose to their feet and began to follow the security team-some walking, and some on stretchers- away from the now quiet portal.

The hike was humid and slow. We had to go over a rope bridge one at a time and climb over fallen trees. Most of the time, we walked in a single or double file line. At one point, we heard a ferocious roar and a loud explosion. Someone calmly said that it was just a slasher that had tripped a sonic mine half a click away. I unzipped my vest all the way at one point to let out the excess heat my body was creating.

"I wonder what May's doing right now," Jacob said to me.

"Who knows? She could be waiting for you at the colony. Maybe she's waiting at our house, and we're going to walk in and see her sitting there waiting." I told him jokingly.

"Like that would really happen." He said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you think that teenagers have to work here?" I asked him.

"Probably not. Maybe they can do internships or something with places, but who knows, right?" he replied.

"Probably the teenagers," I said, both of us laughing for a second.

"Do you think they'll have real food?" He asked. I could hear his stomach growl.

"Define real food,"

"Food that they grew, not the processed, synthetic garbage we used to eat."

"Yeah. Really good real food. I was reading about it, and apparently, there is a giant _orchard,_ one of those places where there are rows and rows of fruit trees. I heard they've got oranges, apples, and even pears. I don't think either of us have ever had a pear...I guess they used to be really common a couple hundred years ago."

"I heard they'll really sweet."

"They are," our mom said from behind us, "when I was a little girl, you could still find them in some places. You haven't lived until you've had a pear."

"I heard that some people can get toothaches from eating too many at once," Jacob said.

"That's a load of bull," our mom said, surprising us both.

"I wonder if Ally has ever tried a pear," I said.

"I doubt it," my mom replied, "Speaking of which, where is she?"

"She's been talking to a new friend almost the entire walk." I said, pointing a few people ahead, where Ally was walking alongside a strong-looking military guy, laughing and smiling. _What a flirt._

"Ally!" I yelled to her, waving. Both turned to me. Ally saw me and waved, her face lighting up. I saw the guy's face clearly for a moment; he had dark brown hair, light brown skin, and even from afar, I could tell he had grey eyes. I saw him ask who I was. I could see her mouth "my cousin" in response. He nodded and they turned back the other way.

After another half hour of walking, we were there. I could see the trees thinning out to a clearing. What we could see, I was not expecting. It was amazing…no, _incredible._


	5. Chapter 5

**Please let me know what your thoughts are on this story. I value every little bit of commentary you have, so keep it coming!**

****and btw, the speech a little ways in is lifted exactly from the pilot episode of TN...or least as close to exactly as I could after listening to it five or six times :)**

Chapter Five

Finally reaching the end of our hike, we walked into a _gargantuan _clearing. This clearing was at least one hundred yards wide, and another three hundred long, tapering inwards the farther away from the colony it went. At its widest point, there was a tall fence that curved into a half-circle shape. In the middle of the half-circle fence was a behemoth gate. Leading out from the gate was a compacted dirt road. Large rovers fully of military personnel were buzzing in and out of the large gate. As they drove by, they honked their horns.

"Welcome to Terra Nova!" _honk honk! _

"Welcome!" the soldiers waved and smiled to us while holding their mean-looking guns.

As we approached the gate, I studied the fence surrounding the colony. It was about thirty feet tall, made up of large logs about eighteen inches in diameter, set about two feet apart from the one above it and the one below it. Spread apart every thirty feet along the fence were thick, vertical blue metal beams for support, with large blocks of concrete at the base of each one. It rose as we reached the front gate, quick enough that we never had to stop moving to wait for it to raise. There were two guard towers on either side of the gate at the top of the fence, each with a large, menacing pyrosonic gun for warding off dinosaurs. Large metal spikes three feet long pointed directly out every four or five feet along the top of the fence.

Walking under the tall gate, we were brought to a large clearing just inside the gates in front of a bamboo structure. On either side were stairs leading up to a main room. Other colonists walked towards us, standing at the edge of the clearing, clapping, smiling, waving, and laughing. It was their way of greeting us. We all gathered into the clearing, talking nonchalantly with medical staff and friends, ready to have something happen next. Everyone suddenly became quiet as a figure stepped out of the bamboo building, placing his hands on the railing.

"Citizens of 2149, I'm Commander Nathaniel Taylor…but you probably already know that. Congratulations. Each one of you has taken a first step, just as I did seven years ago, toward a new beginning. Together, we are at the dawn of a new civilization…no pressure." A few laughs resonated in the crowd. "The world you left behind fell victim to some of the baser instincts of our species…greed, war, ignorance…you blew it; we've destroyed our home…but we have been entrusted with a second chance. A chance to start over, a chance to get it right… Welcome to Terra Nova, folks…welcome home." He finished with a smile, and the crowd erupted into a roar of applause.

The group then slowly began to splinter apart as families and people went their own directions. About forty-five soldiers stood off to the side, ready to show people to their homes. Each had a Plex in their hands, ready to lead people to their homes. We managed to snag a woman who look attentive enough. She looked to be about twenty-two and was wearing a green t-shirt, camouflage pants, and combat boots. She had grey eyes, light brown skin, and wavy brown hair, pulled into a high ponytail. Even in a ponytail, it went to her shoulder blades.

"Well, hi. I'm Shane…so, what's your guys' last name?" she asked cheerily.

"We are the Prevot family. That's spelled P-R-E-V-O-T," my mom told her. She entered the name into the database of the Plex and a list of results showed up. She looked to my mother.

"Are you Dr. Lucille Prevot?" she asked as we walked. My mom smiled.

"Actually, yeah, I am. I didn't realize I was that well known."

"Kind of, I guess. Everyone's always excited to get a new doctor…but anyhow, your guys' home is here in the newer section of housing," she said as we reached a section buzzing with new colonists and soldiers, "There's a PX down the way for basic supplies." she told us, pointing to a small green building down the gravel road.

"Hey, do you know a girl named May Jones?" Jacob asked, "She's almost sixteen. She has copper hair, sapphire blue eyes, she's kind of pale, a nice body, no freckles on her face…she's funny, she's sweet, she-"

"Okay, Jacob, you can drool over her later." Ally said, making me laugh. Shane smiled. I could see my mother trying to hold back a laugh. I felt embarrassed for poor Shane, having to listen to Jacob thinking about his girlfriend.

"The name doesn't sound familiar, but I'll ask around. What're your guys' names, anyway?" She replied.

"I'm Ally, this is Adriana, and that's Jacob," Ally said, pointing to each of us. Shane nodded, smiling.

"Ah, and here's your unit…a lot of these haven't been finished; I don't even think your guys' has been painted." We stopped in front of a square house that looked almost identical to the others. It had dark blue floor-length wooden windows that had shutters built in and slats of natural wood, waiting to be painted. It had a dome-shaped roof with triangular vents.

"I'll leave you to it…let us know if you need anything." She waved and began to walk away, her grey eyes sparkling in the sunlight. _Wait a second… Shane, grey eyes, military…_

"Shane, wait!" I called. She turned around and looked at me.

"Yeah?" I took a deep breath.

"Is your last name Finch?" she looked at me funny.

"Yeah, why?"

"Right before I went through the portal, there was this guy in security who was right at the portal, helping people to it. His name was Isaac, and he told me to tell you…that he loves you."

"Oh my god," I could see her lip trembling, "did he have short red hair?"

"It was short, but I couldn't tell in the transfer room; it was dark in there. But it might've been red." I could see her eyes turning red. Walking up to me, she grasped me in a tight hug. Hugging her back, I knew I'd struck a chord.

"Was he your boyfriend?" I asked when she let go of me.

"Husband…he was the last thing I saw in 2147 before going through the portal…he said he would come through some day, even if he had to make a run for it into the portal during one of the pilgrimages. I told him he'd always have a place in my house when he came…did he say anything else?" I nodded.

"He said, 'Tell her I'll be there soon,'" tears streamed down her face as the words left my lips. She hugged me again.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Adriana…now I've…I've gotta go."

"Check for him on your Plex, like how you did for our name." She nodded and typed 'Finch, Isaac' into the search engine. It came up with nothing. She frowned.

"But if he's here…" she looked at me.

"Chances are, he just made a dash for the portal, so he wouldn't be on the official list of pilgrims." Her face brightened up again.

"Good point. I guess I'll just have to wait for him to come to me…he's smart; he'll just find out where I live…but, uh, I really have to go now…I have to go help more people." She finally left, waving briefly before running back to get more settlers. I turned to my family, who were looking at all the brightly colored flowers planted in front of the house.

"Lets see where we'll live for the rest of our lives," I said. Walking to the front door, my mom slid her key into the door and unlocked it, slowly turning the handle. Opening the door, we walked in.

"My god," Jacob said as he saw the inside.

Hardwood floors made of the same wood as the wall reflected the sunlight pouring into the main room, a nice-sized space with a small, modern kitchen and a sitting area with white couches. There was a short hallway off to the right with two closed doors. In the back of the room, there was an open door that held a full bathroom. On the left side was another larger room that must've been the master bedroom. Above on the ceiling were billowy pieces of white fabric connected to the ceiling from two sides, flowing beautifully in the breeze.

I ran past my mom to the first door on the right and found a single bedroom. It held a twin-sized white bed with a simple white sheet over the mattress & a large, round, white pillow. A light brown wood dresser was positioned in the corner, ready to be filled with clothing. A small side table sat on either side of the bed. A large, double-paned window was partially opened, the top layer of frosted glass cranked up to let in sunlight through a normal, clear window.

Going to the door farther down the hallway, there was a larger bedroom with two beds exactly like the one in the first bedroom, each with two side tables. Two windows sat half-open like in the first bedroom, while two identical dressers sat across the room from each other and a wide, floor-length mirror on the wall between the two beds, but on the opposite wall. I dropped my pack on the bed farther from the door. Ally came in behind me and dropped hers on the other bed.

"I guess we're roomies," she said, smiling. I smiled back and went back to the living area to check out the other rooms. While poking around, I noticed that all the wall that made up the bedrooms and bathroom were made of a thick, white, paper-like material about six inches thick.

"Whoa, did you guys see the walls?" I asked, not talking to anyone specifically.

"Yeah, it's their way of being 'eco-friendly', I guess," Jacob said while poking around the kitchen, "when do we get to have some _real_ food?"

"We have to drink a special concoction for the next three days because real food has all these enzymes our bodies aren't used to yet," my mom said, coming out of her room.

"Ryan said it tastes terrible," Ally said, referring to her good-looking military friend she met on the hike in. Jacob let out a sigh.

"I say phooey to that," I said, "let's go get some real food!" Ally smiled and high-fived me.

"Seriously, let's go!" Jacob said.

"Let me change my shirt, first." I went into mine & Ally's room and dug a short-sleeve shirt out of my pack. It was deep purple with a banded bottom and a v-neck. After peeling off my vest and grey shirt, I couldn't believe how much better I felt. I slipped the family photo out of my vest and into the small pocket of my leggings.

"Um, no. You guys shouldn't be breaking rules in a new place, and besides, how are you going to pay for anything?" My mom said as I came out of the bedroom, her hands on her hips as she watched us put our shoes on.

"Ryan gave me some terras so I could see what they look like," Ally said, pulling three coins out of the pocket of her jacket that she had dropped on her bed.

"And I found some terras on the floor in my room. I guess a builder dropped them or something." Jacob said. Before our mom could do or say anything more, we hurried out the door.

"Wait!" she yelled, "Be back no later than seven thirty for dinner!"

"Bye, mom!" I said as I closed the door behind us.

"Teenagers!" I heard her mutter, making me laugh.

The closest outdoor market was just down the road, two minute's walk away. The markets were all shaped the same way: a loosely shaped circular square of stands with a wide aisle, and then another circular square of stands inside that. Large, waterproof tarps hung over the stands at odd angles, leaving shoppers to be in the shade at some stands and in the sun at others. A diversity of things were sold; fruit, vegetables, roots, bread, roasted beetles & lizards, books, jewelry, live fauna, wooden kitchen supplies, silver-ware, glassware, shoes, clothing, blankets, rugs, lights, writing tools, paper, hats, tools, fabric, sewing supplies, instruments, games, knives, hair care, candles, and occasionally even furniture, to name just a few.

We walked into the bustling market, surrounded by neighbors and fellow colonists doing their shopping. Most wore clothing in vibrant colors; blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, tan, black, white, and grey. In 2149, most clothing colors were limited to blacks, tans, greys, blues, and greens. I struck me how bleak 2149 was.

We approached a small fruit stand selling fruits of every shape, size, and color. I noticed large, plump apples, brightly-colored oranges, and greenish-yellow bananas, but those were the only kind I recognized. All others were foreign. The man selling the fruit had been reading an old-fashion paper book and didn't notice us browsing the fruit at first. When he saw us, he stood up and smiled.

"What can I getcha?" he asked, looking at each of us. He had blue eyes, tan skin, and short, curly blonde hair. He stood about two inches taller than Jacob, who was 5'10".

"Um, what would you recommend? We just came in on the pilgrimage, so we're kind of retarded when it comes to fruit." Ally said, making all four of us laugh. Jacob picked up a red-yellow-purple-orange thing that had strange, curved pieces of the purplish-orange skin jabbing out at erratic angles, sniffing it

"Well, if you want something really spectacular, I'd recommend one of these," he said, taking the thing out of Jacob's hand, "it's called dragon fruit." _Some kind of strange, prehistoric fruit they found out in the jungle, I bet. _

"Is that from this time period?" Jacob asked curiously.

"Nope. It's from 2149, or, uh, at least, that's where the seeds were brought from…when the colony was established, they brought lots of fruit seeds to get fruit growing." He told Jacob.

"What's it taste like?" I asked.

"It's kind of like a cross between a banana and a kiwi, and the creamy texture of a banana, I guess." he said. We looked at each other, confused. _None of us have tasted banana or kiwi, asshole._

"Oh, duh. Of course; none of you guys have had either of those yet, have you?" we all shook our heads at his reply.

"Well, here, I'll slice this up for you guys to try, free of charge, since you're newbies." He told us.

"Here," Jacob said, trying to hand him the terras from his pocket. "I found them on the floor in my room. I don't really know how much they're worth, though." The man refused to take them.

"Keep 'em. You're supposed to be drinking that green stuff for the next couple days, and besides, you'll probably find better stuff to spend them on that isn't food... the thing is, I don't really care for that green stuff any more than the next person, so I'm not that concerned about giving newbies a taste of real food." Jacob shrugged and put the coins back in his pocket. The man went to the table behind him and used a large knife to slice the thing right down the middle. Taking a smaller knife, he peeled off the spiky outer skin and sliced each of the halves of white, seed-filled flesh in half, so there were four pieces. He handed one to each of us. I looked at Ally hesitantly.

"Try it. You'll like it!" he encouraged. Feeling brave, I took a bite out of it. I spit it out almost instantly, it was so sweet. The everybody laughed.

"What the hell? Why's it so sweet?" I asked.

"It isn't all that sweet compared to some of the fruit in Terra Nova…that's actually one of the more bitter fruits. It's just because you've been used to eating all synthetic food. You try it." He said, motioning to Ally & Jacob. They looked at each other, and each took a bite out of their slice. Ally managed to swallow hers, but Jacob spat his out like I did. I took another bite out of it, and managed to keep it in my mouth. After a few more bites each, we gobbled them down quickly.

"Wow, what else do you have?" Jacob asked when we had finished the dragon fruit.

"Here, have an orange," He tossed Jacob an orange. "you have had oranges before, right?" Jacob nodded.

"Yeah," he said, peeling the orange, "it's been years, though. I haven't had one since before my dad died, and he died ten years ago." The man took the peeled part from him and dropped it in a wicker basket on the ground behind him, full of rinds and peels from various fruits. Jacob handed Ally and I a couple slices each.

"This'll be good," the guy said. Jacob and I took a bite out an orange slice. _Good god. _I could feel my face puckering up in response to the super sour flavor of the orange. Opening my eyes, I saw Jacob looked the same as me just as Ally took a bite and spat it out. The guy started laughing uncontrollably.

"My god, that's what I looked like the first time I had an orange." He said, wiping a tear out of his eye, "I remember the first time my daughter had an orange…she was only three, and her face looked just like your guys' faces." _A daughter?_

"You have a daughter?" I asked. He looked at me.

"Yeah. Well, I did…er, I guess I still do." He replied.

"What do you mean?" Ally asked.

"Well, I came to Terra Nova on the second pilgrimage, but I had to leave behind my family. My wife, and my son & daughter." He told her.

"How old were they?...when you left for Terra Nova, I mean." Jacob asked.

"Well, my son, he was ten, and my daughter was eight…what about you kids? Where're your parents?" he said.

"Well, my dad came to Terra Nova on the fourth, and my mom died when I was really little. These two are my cousins," Ally said.

"Yeah, Ally's our cousin. Our dad died when I was five and my brother was seven, and our mom's just down the way at our house. She got recruited." I told him.

"Oh really?" he asked, "your mom got _recruited? _For what?"

"She's a doctor. She's an optometrist, OBGYN, dentist, and a surgeon." I said proudly.

"Nice. My wife was a doctor. She was an optometrist and a surgeon."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do have any pictures of your family?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah, here," I said, pulled the photo out of my pocket, handing it to him, "it was taken a couple weeks before my dad got killed." He unfolded it and studied it. After a moment, his smile faded. He looked from me, to Jacob, to the photo, back to Jacob, to me, and then to the photo again, confused. He hastily handed me the photo and pulled his jacket off the back of the chair he'd been sitting in, sticking his hand in every pocket on the coat until he found a folded piece of paper. Unfolding his piece of paper, he snatched my photo out my hand and held the two pieces of paper side-by-side. He periodically looked at Jacob and I, studying our faces.

"It can't be," he whispered under his breath. I looked at Jacob and Ally, confused.

"What can't be?" I asked. He looked at me, and then handed me the two papers. Jacob and Ally crowded on either side of me to look with me.

_Two pictures, side by side. Two chubby blonde men. Two skinny, beautiful brunette women. Two little boys smiling big, cheesy smiles. Two little girls with light blonde hair wearing a too-big white dress. Two families._

_The same family._

_One family._

"Oh, my, god," Ally said under her breath.

"No way," Jacob said, looking at him.

"It can't be," I said. We all looked up at the man standing in front of us. His eyes were watering.

"Do…do you know our names?" I said, the words trembling as they came out of my mouth. He looked at Jacob.

"Jacob Michael Prevot," he turned to Ally, his lip trembling.

"Allyssandra Marie Harris-Morris," he turned to me, last, on the verge of losing his composure.

"Adriana Nabila Prevot," he let the tears fall down his face, and all three of us rushed into his arms. We all burst out crying, even Jacob.

"Do you know my name?" he said between sobs.

"Dad," the named fell from my own lips & Jacob's with emotion; there was anger, there was sadness, and most evidently of all, there was pure joy.


	6. Chapter 6

**Read through this one and give me your thoughts on anything. I love hearing your feedback!**

Chapter Six

The human body is able to take on large amounts of stress, happiness, fear, and anger at any time. Some people are unfortunate as to only be able to take on very minute amounts of emotion, while others can take on so much that they seem cold, almost emotionless. My brother & I had been lucky enough to be somewhere in between the 'normal' human and the 'cold' human; we could take on huge amounts of emotion-like my father's reappearance- and seem calm on the outside. We always believed it came from our father, mainly because our mother hated stress and being under pressure.

At the current moment, we sat against the giant fence surrounding the colony. Ally & I were sitting on the cement in front of Jacob & my dad. The four of us had been sitting there for almost an hour, catching up on the past ten years.

"When I got shot in the apartment, I was almost dead. I was going to just give up and let myself go, but I knew I couldn't give up…I had you guys; I didn't want to leave you guys. The cops who took me away had checked for my pulse…when they said I was dead, I knew they were lying. They zipped me into a body bag and took me down to a secret underground hospital below Chicago. It took four months before I could even breath on my own, and another eight before I could walk and talk. When I asked when I'd get to see my family, they told me they'd already sent you guys a death certificate and some ashes. Said that they take the ashes of recently executed prisoners and send them to the families if its in the case of a rather valuable person, as a cover-up, to make it look like a real death. Someone like me." He told us. The logic made no sense whatsoever, but I didn't doubt my father's word.

"What did you do until you came here?" Ally asked.

"I worked in the labs, helping scientists on the portal. You know the name Stanley Corvaris? The guy who figured out how to anchor the portal in one place at Hope Plaza." We nodded.

"That was me…they didn't say it was actually me, since I was supposed to be dead. That's also why they never showed any pictures of the guy. I went by that name for the time that I worked on the portal. Once it was finished, and Taylor had gone through the portal, they said I was going on the next pilgrimage…they said they needed to _eliminate_ me without actually eliminating me; didn't want to kill the guy who helped save humanity, you know, but they couldn't just send me home to my family."

"Then what do you do here? Do you work in the labs?" I asked, putting my hand up to my eyes to shield them from the sun.

"Nope. Like everybody else, I was just assigned a house and found a job. I did lots of construction for a while, helping build new houses, and that paid for food and stuff. It's nice that you can't get evicted here; you'll always have a roof over your head. You pay bills, but you don't pay a mortgage or anything. Water, electric, you know, the basics. I've been working a small field I managed to buy, and a couple trees in the orchard, so I do a lot of growing for my income. I also worked at the bar for a while, but I never really got along with the owner, Boylan, and that was when I started selling produce, after I stopped working there…it's definitely not the most exciting job, but I enjoy meeting all the people who've become my regular customers, along with all the new ones."

"So…are we going to tell mom?" Jacob asked, looking at our dad.

"Of course…not today, though. I think it would be best to let everyone get settled in before bringing the dead husband back to life…I think she's had enough change already, you know?" he replied.

"I agree," Ally said, "she needs time to get used to Terra Nova before throwing something else at her." I nodded. It was a logical plan; my mother had never been one to take big surprises or big changes easily. After something as insane as coming here to Terra Nova, she would need a few weeks, or, possibly, a few months, before throwing in another big surprise. As we sat in silence for a while, I plucked up the courage to ask a particularly tricky question.

"So, dad…" I began, "do you, um…do you still love mom?" I looked at him, not sure if that was appropriate to ask. He looked up at the sky, and then back to me and nodded.

"I haven't been able to stop thinking about her, or you guys for that matter. The past six years have been agony, wondering if I'd ever see you guys again." He replied. I let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Have you seen my dad, Uncle Alex?" Ally asked hopefully.

"Actually, yeah, I see him all the time. He lives across the street from me. Tomorrow, we'll stop by and say hello." She smiled and nodded.

"You looked different, dad," Jacob said.

"I do? I thought I looked pretty much the same. Maybe a little healthier or older, if anything." He replied. _Definitely a little older._

"Compared to the family picture, you look really different," I said, handing the photo to him, "you were kind of fat, and you were definitely shorter, and you, um, had a less wrinkly face." I said. Ally laughed, making my dad smile.

"It's all this healthy food and fresh air that made me taller and skinnier. I guess the wrinkles just come with age, right?" he replied.

"Or all this sunlight," Jacob chimed in. My dad smiled.

"But you're not THAT wrinkly," Ally told him. Jacob snorted.

"What time is it?" I asked. My dad looked down at the watch on his wrist.

"It's about….oh, I'd say 7:27, why?" he looked at me.

"I dunno. My body's all mixed up, since Terra Nova is four hours ahead of 2149." I replied.

"Wow, look at the sky, guys," Ally said, standing up. I followed her lead and stood up, too, looking up at the darkening sky. It was turning into a collage of golds, oranges, purples, and pinks as the sun was beginning to approach the horizon. It almost hurt my eyes, it was so beautiful. In 2149, it didn't get fully light out until about two or three in the afternoon, and that was on a clear day in summer when the days were longest. In the winter, it was semi-dark during the day and pitch black at night.

"Wow is right," Jacob said, standing up. Our dad stood up with his hands in his pocket.

"You get used to the crazy sunsets. They're like this almost every night." He told us.

"So the sun sets at 7:30?" I asked.

"It starts to, but it takes about two hours for it to fully go over the horizon."

"Wait, you said it's almost 7:30…we gotta go eat dinner," Ally said. The three of us looked at my dad.

"You guys should get on home, then." He told us.

"But what about you? Will we see you again soon?" Jacob asked.

"Of course. I practically _live_ at the market. I'm there Monday through Friday, basically all day. I need to go check on my stand, anyways…so, go on home, and I'll see kids guys tomorrow, I'm sure," he started walking away, towards the market. We turned and walked the opposite direction, towards home.

"Oh, you guys!" he yelled, turning around briefly, "don't say anything about me to your mother!" he reminded us. We all nodded and ran home, not wanting to get in any trouble for being late.

Walking in the front door, we found a surprise waiting for us: our mom and her big brother, Ally's dad, sitting in the living area, laughing and talking.

"Dad!" Ally rushed past me when she saw him, barreling into him as he stood up. I could hear her starting to cry.

"Ally," he said, hugging her. His voice was muffled by her brief tears of happiness.

He sat down in his seat as she sat next to him. Jacob and I meandered in and sat down in chairs around the rest of our family.

"Hey, Uncle Max," I said, smiling.

"Come 'ere, kid!" he said, holding his arms out. I walked to him and gave him a hug.

"You too, Jacob!" Jacob climbed out of his seat, hugged Ally's dad, and sat back down next to me, smiling. Our uncle look the same as ever, if not better. His brown hair was wavy like his sister's, and short like my dad's. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans.

"It's good to see you, little sis," he said to my mom. I could notice he had developed a bit of an Australian accent.

"You too…nice accent," she said, making him smile.

"I know, it wasn't really voluntary…it just kind of happened as I got used to hearing people here talk like that. I was surprised by how many are from Australia." He replied.

"So, where do you live?" Jacob asked.

"Oh, just a two or three houses down the way," he said, pointing in the general direction of his home.

"Do you live by yourself?" Ally said, glancing looking at the small band of silver on his left ring finger.

"No, I uh…my fiancée lives with me," he looked at Ally, whose smile reached from ear to ear.

"You're engaged, dad?" she asked, looking at her down.

"Yup. Her name is Heather, and she came in on the fifth pilgrimage. We met a couple days after she arrived when she came by the market I sell at, looking for some good food... I persuaded her to try one of the beetles and then go on a date with me." Ally laughed.

"Flirting with the customers…I see how it is, dad." Ally said sarcastically, making her dad laugh.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"Oh, she's out on medical convoy with some other people from the infirmary to check on some soldiers at an outpost that's recently been damaged by Nyco raptors trying to get at the nickel in the cables buried under the outpost. It's about thirty clicks away, so the mission was going to be a couple days. I guess a couple of the poor bastards got minor injuries from trying to chase off the Nycos, but they'll be back on Saturday night." He told me.

"What day is it today?" Jacob asked.

"Today's Wednesday," he replied. He nodded.

"What's for dinner?" I asked, looking at my mom.

"Ah, that's right," she said, getting up and hurrying over to the kitchen, "almost forgot about that with all the conversation." She pulled a carafe and a large tub of light green powder out of a cabinet, setting them on the counter.

"Oh joy, more powdered food," I heard Jacob mutter, making my mom laugh.

"Just for three days…it can't be _that_ bad! Come and help me mix it up, would you?" Jacob climbed out of his chair and joined my mother in the kitchen. He scooped the right amount of powder into the carafe, filled it to the line with water, and mixed it with a large spoon while my mom found some large, blue glasses for pouring our drinks into.

"Make sure it's not too liquid-y, Jacob," my mother advised him. He nodded. My mom brought four cups over to the counter, taking the carafe from Jacob. She poured each nearly full with the mint-green mixture.

"You want any?" she asked her brother, half joking.

"'Course not…come on, don't be crazy, now," he said, laughing. My mom grinned.

"Take a couple of these over to your sister and Ally," she told Jacob. He picked up to of the glasses and brought one to each of us. I reached over to Ally, holding my glass up.

"Cheers," I said, smiling. She held hers up next to mine.

"To a new beginning," we clinked our glasses together and took a big gulp of the green stuff. It was _horrible… _a mixture of some unnatural mixture of devilry that tasted like dirt.

"What's the point of this stuff?" I asked my mom as she sat down next to Jacob on the couch.

"Since our bodies aren't used to all the enzymes and vitamins in real food, this is supposed to help make the switch to real food not such a shock for our bodies…but I guess you guys already had some food today, huh?" she said, taking a sip out of her glass, referring to when we went to the market earlier.

"We didn't have much to eat," Ally said.

"Oh really? What now did you have, then?" she asked us. Her brother was smiled, amused at the situation.

"We had some dragon fruit and an orange, but that was all," Jacob told her. She nodded.

"And what exactly is a dragon fruit, Jacob?" she asked. He explained how they look and taste.

"Hmm, interesting," she said, nodding as she thought about them, "you guys should run down there and buy one real fast before the market closes for the day so we can all have some…do you still have any money?"

"Yeah, the guy whose stand we were at let us try it for free since we'd never had it before." He told her.

"Could you run down there and buy one real fast, then?" she asked him. He nodded.

"Anything to get out of drinking that garbage," he said, referring to the green drink in his hand he had yet to try.

"Go on, then! Be quick, now," our uncle told him, waving him off. Jacob sat the drink on the coffee table and ran out the front door.

"What kind of meat do they have around here?" I asked my uncle.

"Well, most meat comes from fish caught on the coast and in lakes around the area, but there is a large demand for bugs and lizards…they're actually quite good."

"What about chickens and cows and stuff?" Ally asked.

"All the embryos that survived ended up female, so there is a small population of chickens in the whole colony, maybe twenty or thirty in all, but they're all female. None of them ever get killed for meat because there is such a small population, and we need the eggs. I think there are around ten cows that came from embryos, but like they chickens, they're all females, and they're also needed for milk…you haven't lived until you've tried real milk from a happy cow." He told her.

"But I thought chickens and cows went extinct," I said, confused. _What embryos?_

"They did…however, scientists froze lots of embryos from animals that were on the verge of going extinct not long after the fracture was discovered, and then brought them through the portal. It wasn't until after I arrived that the animals were born. When they were born, it was a huge deal. The colony was tiny compared to its current size, so everybody came and saw the little chickens when they hatched." He told me.

"Wow," I said.

"Wow is right," my mom said.

"So, do we really have to drink this stuff for the next three days?" Ally asked, taking a drink. When she moved the glass from her lips, she had a light green mustache. I looked at her and pointed to her lip. She looked at me, confused, and touch her finger to her upper lip, smack dab on the mustache. I laughed at her confused look. Her dad chuckled.

"It should be the main thing you consume, but a piece of fruit or a vegetable, say, once a day, won't do any harm. They don't _really _enforce that rule, but basically everybody knows it's dangerous to come here and just switch over to such a vitamin-rich, healthy diet." He told her.

"So, in other words…"

"In other words, you have to," he finished her sentence.

"Great," she said sarcastically, just as Jacob came in the door with a wicker basket.

"I snagged a few extra things," he said, sitting down next to me. He sat the basket on the table and let us see what he'd bought.

"What in the world did you get?" my mother asked, astonished. He smiled proudly.

"Two dragon fruits," holding up each item as he named it, "three oranges, two apples…and a pear." He said, holding up an oddly shaped, light brown fruit that was fat at the bottom and skinny at the top.

"Smell it," he said, passing it to my mom. She held it to her nose and inhaled, closing her eyes for a second.

"Wow, this smells even better than what I can remember as a little girl…here, you smell it," she passed it to me. I held it to my face and took a whiff. It smelled sweet and heavenly, just _begging _to be eaten. Ally took it from me and smelled it.

"Can we have it right now?" she asked eagerly.

"Of course," my mom said. She took it from Ally, and went into the kitchen, but stopped before she sliced it.

"Do you want any, Max?" she asked her brother. He shook his head.

"Naw, I've had pears plenty of times," she shrugged and sliced the pear into four sections. She brought them over on a small, square plate and passed it around, letting everyone take a piece.

"On the count of three," my uncle said.

"One," Ally started.

"Two," my mom said.

"Three!" Jacob and I exclaimed at the same time. Everyone took a large chomp out of their piece of fruit. Instead of spitting it out, everyone went into a state of stupor, every sense in our bodies tingling in delight at the sweet flavors we were enveloped in. It was better than dragon fruit (okay, not_ that _much better), tasting like pure fruity goodness. The flavor it produced was unprecedented; something I had never tasted before. I ate the rest of it in three more bites. When I looked around at the others, they had finished their just as quickly.

"Once again, wow," Ally said. I nodded.

"They taste extra sweet, seeing as none of you guys have had one," my uncle told us, "they are pretty sweet, but it gets less overpowering the more you eat until your body adjusts to the flavors of real food."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Can you get cavities from pears?" Jacob asked him.

"Of course not, I was at the dentist this morning around nine, and he couldn't stop blabbering on about how excited he was to get all these new customers. He said there probably would be a big influx of patients with teeth ruined by the synthetic food…how have your guys' teeth faired?" My mom shrugged.

"Surgeries here and there, you know, nothing fun. My teeth are all fake…" She said, smiling her perfect smile of perfect, pearly whites, "they're all perfect and nice…mine were too far off by the time the FDA admitted that most of the food sold in stores was engineered from chemicals."

"All my molars are fake," Jacob said, hooking his mouth back to reveal overly-white white teeth that made his real teeth look grotesquely yellow, "they managed to save all my front teeth."

"I've got a full set of fakes, too," Ally said, looking at her dad and flashing a smile.

"What about you, Adriana?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"Nope, I don't have any fake teeth at all." He looked at me, astounded.

"How? Even I have a couple,"

"I didn't want to go through the hassle of getting implants like them," I motioned to my mom and brother, "so I brushed my teeth obsessively four or five times a day." He nodded, and we sat in silence for a little while, sipping our drinks. I gulped down the last of mine right as Ally asked what time it was, just to make small talk.

"Oh…" her dad looked at the watch on his wrist, "it's about eight o'clock...I've gotta go," he said, standing up quickly, dusting the pretend dirt off his shirt.

"Where are you headed?" My mom stood up, blocking his path to the door.

"I'm sorry, Lucille, I've got to head over to my shift at Boylan's," she cocked her head.

"I work a couple nights a week at the bar," he said. She nodded and stepped out of the way. He brushed past her and headed to the door.

"When will we see you again?" Ally asked, standing up.

"I live just three houses down…we'll see each other all the time, I promise, sweetie. Love you guys!" he rushed out the door in a hurry, leaving us alone to clean up the remnants of dinner.

We all took showers after exploring the settlement for a couple hours. By the time we came home, it was already dark, the moon shining brightly over a clear sky without a cloud. After my shower, I dried my hair using a hair dryer I had found in the bathroom cabinet, included with the home. I gave up after a while and decided to let my hair dry the rest of the way, leaving it somewhat damp.

Flopping down on her bed, Ally let out a loud breath. I looked out at her, smiling. As she sat up, the big, fluffy ball of hair on the top of her head flopped around, making me laugh.

"What's with the fluff ball hair?" I asked, laughing. She huffed a laugh and smiled.

"It's an overnight way to curl your hair without heat," She explained.

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Oh, one of my friends showed it to me a while ago. It was good when the power went out and there was school the neck day; just put your hair up this way and have nice curls in the morning!" Power outages were _very _common in 2149, simply because of the number of people in such a small area. She smiled.

"How?" I was mystified.

"Okay, so your take an old tube sock, and cut the toe part off…yes, I know, it's weird," she answered my strange look, " and you roll the sock until it looks kind of like a doughnut. You put your hair in a ponytail on the top of your head so that the hair falls to the sides, not just the back, and you spray it until it's wet…not like, sopping wet, but damp enough, like when you let your hair air-dry and it's kind of dry, but not really at all." She explained.

"Uh huh, keep talking," she had my full attention.

"Once it's all damp, you slip your hair into the end of the doughnut thing and fold the ends of your ponytail into the edge of the sock so your hair stays in it, and then you just roll your hair into the sock tightly, or loosely, depending on the curls you want, all the way to your head …I do it really tight so it makes nice curls. I usually will spray my hair a little more once it's rolled up, just for good measure." She told me.

"Would you do that for me?" I asked hopefully. She nodded. Reaching over to one of her nightstands, she picked up a large paddle brush, a spray bottle half full of water, a sock-doughnut-thing, and a handful of large rubber elastics. I sat on the floor against her bed, and she sat behind me on her bed. I watched the whole process off to the side in the mirror. She brushed my hair, which came to the middle of my back, and pulled it into a high ponytail on the top of my head, pulling the blonde hair tightly until it was smooth against my scalp. She pulled large sections of the ponytail up and would let bits & pieces fall as she doused my hair with water. She repeated it until she was satisfied. She wrapped my hair into the sock and rolled all my hair into a large, fluffy bun. She spritzed the bun a little more, and then shook the now empty bottle.

"Voila!" she said, laughing. I went over to the mirror and examined the bun.

"My god, I look crazy!" she laughed again.

"You'll see why looking like this is worth it in the morning." She climbed into her bed and hovered her hand over the lamp on her night table to turn it off. I climbed in my bed and went to do the same as my mom stuck her head in the door. She was wearing a fluffy white robe.

"Goodnight, girls," she said.

"Goodnight," we replied in unison. She closed the door behind her gently. I heard her say goodnight to Jacob in the next room over. I turned my light off, and we were flushed into near darkness, the only light coming from the moon shining in through the frosted glass windows. I laid my head down carefully and adjusted my pillow a bit. Pulling the soft blankets up to my chin, I was instantly warm and drowsy. I could feel the bun on my head._ I bet May would have used this sock bun thing for her hair, _I thought, _wait…May…May Jones…Jacob's May…we didn't find May._


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter kind of sets up a lot of the story. And also, I feel like nobody's been reading lately. If you could, would please leave some feedback? I want to know there are people reading.**

Chapter Seven

Thursday

When I woke up, it was about eight o'clock. It was beginning to lighten, soft sunlight streaming in through the windows. I sat up in my bed and let my eyes adjust to being awake. I looked over at Ally in the soft morning glow and found her laying on her side, watching me. She had her blankets pulled up cozily to her chin, She smiled at me.

"You were talking in your sleep…it woke me up, and I've been listening to you for the past half hour." I snorted.

"Wonderful…what was I talking about?" I asked.

"At first you were talking about nonsensical things, and then after a while, you started say 'Where's May, May's missing!'" she said, sitting up. It all came back to me, how I'd promised Jacob we'd find May, and how we didn't. I slapped my hand to my forehead in embarrassment, and slid my hand over my hair, running it over the bun.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, jumping out of bed. I stood in front of the mirror and examined my bun, which had fallen down my head a few inches and was loose against my scalp.

"That's right," Ally said, coming next to me in the mirror, examining her own bun, "time to take these suckers out…you or me first?" she looked at me. We stood almost eye level to each other, her being an inch taller than me.

"You first. I want to see what it looks like," She nodded and took a large, wooden, wide-tooth comb that had teeth half an inch thick off her dresser.

"You have to brush your hair carefully, so you don't screw up the curls," I nodded, "here, hold this," I took the comb from her. She carefully unrolled the bun and removed the ponytail so her hair lay loosely. I handed her the comb and she carefully parted and combed her hair. The curls were crazy gorgeous. Her hair was curled into ringlets that could normally only be achieved with a curling wand. The ends of her hair rested at the fullest part of her bust. She found a bobby pin, braided her side bangs, and pinned them to the side of her head above her ear.

"You want to do yours?" she asked. I nodded. Concentrating on my hair in the mirror, I slowly unrolled the bun until my hair was out. I slowly pulled my hair out of the ponytail and took the comb from Ally. Carefully combing my hair, I smoothed out the frizz in my hair and defined my side part. I took a clear clip and clipped a small section of hair that had once been side bangs to the side of my head above my ear to keep my hair out of my face. Looking back in the mirror, I nearly drooled over how nicely my hair had curled overnight. They were even better than I'd expected, curling into perfect springs of blonde. I looked at Ally in amazement.

"Wow, this is _unbelievable._" I told her. She smiled and nodded her head.

"Told ya it would," she said, laughing.

"Now that we're done with this business, let's go get something to eat," she nodded.

"Should we change?" she asked. I shrugged.

"The place looked pretty informal…I dunno, maybe put on some boots." She nodded again. We each slipped into our own pairs of mid-calf boots that were lined with warm, synthetic fuzz. Mine were a light grey color, while Ally's were tan colored. It was a little cool in the house, indicating it would be cool outside, so we each slipped on a jacket; for Ally, a zip-up hoodie, and for myself, a green-grey, thick cable-knit cardigan. We grabbed the twenty terras that Ryan had given Ally the day before, slipped out of the bedroom quietly, and tiptoed towards the front door. We almost were there, when the toilet flushed.

"Where are you guys going?" Jacob said, stopping us dead in our tracks. We turned around and looked at him.

"Uh…" was all I managed to say.

"Where. Are. You. Guys. Going?" he said, emphasizing each word, his eyes bulging in his head for a second. Each word rolled off his tongue like he was talking to a stupid person.

"We were going to go buy some breakfast," Ally told him.

"_Why_?" he asked it like we had told him something preposterous.

"Because we're hungry." _Why else, you idiot?_

"ALLY, WHY ARE YOU AND ADRIANA LEAVING THE HOUSE SO EARLY IN THE MORNING?" he purposely raised his voice, knowing how thin the walls were.

"Shhhh!" I shushed him. _Too late._ My mom rolled open her door, looking at us quizzically.

"Where are you guys headed off to?" she cocked her head. I took a deep breath, trying to help keep my cool.

"We WERE going to go eat at little place that served breakfast," I told her.

"Wouldn't it be closed? It is barely eight, after all."

"No, it is a breakfast place. They open at, like, seven." Ally told her. My mom smiled.

"Well, then, in that case, why don't we all go, then?" she suggested.

"No, it's ok, we'll stay home, then." I said. I walked to my door and kicked off my shoes. Ally followed suit.

"Cut the dramatics, guys, jeez," Jacob jeered, plopping down in one of the chairs around the dining table.

"Shut up," I said, sitting in one of the barstool-style chairs around the kitchen counter.

"Both of you, stop, now," my mom commanded, "let's have breakfast." We all gathered around the kitchen counter and took our portion of the green concoction. While we drank it, my mom sliced the two apples and distributed the pieces between the four of us. We ate in silence apart from the occasional slurp or crunch. My mom tried to get a conversation going.

"So, today's a busy day for all of us," I looked up at her.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I'm starting my job today," she smiled, "and you three have orientation today."

"Like, school orientation or something?" Jacob asked.

"No, just a general orientation for all the newbies," Ally answered. My mom nodded.

"Precisely,"

"Oh joy, nothing like a boring orientation." Jacob said, rolling his eyes. I swallowed the last of my drink and rinsed it out in the sink.

"Oh, stop. It's only a few hours long, and then you have the rest of the day off," she told him. He sat up, those words piquing his interest.

"So…we just have to go to this orientation thing for a couple hours, and then we're free?" he clarified. My mom nodded.

"Good, because Adriana and I have some searching to do," I he said.

"We do?" I asked. Ally snorted.

"We have to locate my girlfriend," he told me. _Of course._

"Oh, yeah, we do." I nodded. My mom glanced up at the clock on the wall and began collecting our dirty dishes.

"It's already nine o'clock," she said as she rinsed off the dishes, "you guys need to be at the learning center by 9:30." We all went off in our own directions to get ready. All I had to do was put on makeup, get dressed, and brush my teeth. I went to my room and found my makeup bag. I sat down in front of the mirror and put on my usual makeup: mascara, a small amount of liner & eye shadow, and loose powder, which took me almost fifteen minutes to do. Ally joined me after a little while, doing her own makeup. I then went and picked out my outfit. I chose an airy white cardigan, a low-cut, fitted grey tank top that had white lace around the neckline, slim boot cut jeans (the only pair I owned, due to the sky-high price of denim in 2149), and brown shoes from a brand that was wildly popular at the beginning of the 21st century, called Toms. Ally dressed in a red-pink tank top, brown shorts, and brown t-strap sandals. She tucked the front of the flatteringly loose tank into her shorts, revealing a braided twine belt about two inches wide. When I came out of the bathroom after brushing my teeth, I found her braiding her hair into a fishtail braid. After she tied it off with a clear elastic, she tugged at a small sections of hair so a few curls framed her face.

"What are you doing?" I asked quizzically.

"I decided to braid my hair…this way, when I take the braid out, I'll have another hairstyle for tomorrow." _That makes doing your hair last night pointless. _

"Sometimes, I swear, I can't figure you out!" I told her. She smiled and stood up. She reached over to her bed and picked up a small green bottle and lightly misted the contents over her head, but not the braid.

"What's that?" I asked. She handed the bottle to me.

"It's environmentally friendly hairspray…it's not an aerosol, so it doesn't hurt the air. Try it!" I shrugged and sprayed the cool mist into my curls. It had no smell, which I liked a lot. I sat it on her bed.

"Where'd you get that?" I asked.

"I found it at the market yesterday," I nodded.

"You're going to have to show me to that, my friend!" I told her, making her laugh.

"C'mon, let's go to orientation." She said. I left the room and went to my mom's room, poking my head in the door. She was putting on a pair of shiny brown ballet flats to go with her cream-colored blouse and light brown pants. She had done her hair into beachy waves and was wearing mascara, eyeliner, and little cream-colored eye shadow.

"We're leaving," I told her. She nodded and slipped into her crisp white doctor's coat.

"Okay. Be good and stay out of trouble. The clinic is a quarter mile from the learning center, kind of towards the entrance to the fields. I'll probably be working until around four today," I gave her a quick hug and then left her in her room.

"Jacob, let's go!" I yelled. Jacob came out of his room wearing an unbuttoned blue flannel shirt and a white t-shirt with a pair of dark jeans and brown sneakers.

"Yeah, yeah, get off my case," he said sarcastically. Ally followed us out of the bedroom.

"Bye mom!" Jacob yelled as my came out of her room.

"Have fun! I'll be home around four," she told us.

We walked up the wide gravel road that our house was along, farther into the settlement, passing by other colonists going about doing their day-to-day things. We walked side by side, chatting and laughing. We passed by a school, a couple of small stores, and the clinic. It took us a solid ten minutes of walking to arrive at the learning center, a wide building that had two floors. Other people were going in, mostly those who had arrived along with us the day before. We walked in the main doors, which had been propped open, into the main room of the building, a large room with a tall, vaulted ceiling. There were various stations set up around the room, along with a sign pointing up a flight of stairs that said "_Organic cooking, exercise, and security stations_". Before we could do anything, a woman stood up on a chair, holding a bullhorn.

"Hey, everyone, welcome! Before we get started, please try to go to as many stations as possible. All of these stations are here to orientate you with your new home. I suggest that if you came with friends or family, split up and meet new people! We're going to be here until 12:30, so there's no rush to get through each station!" She told us, "and….go!" everyone walked towards different stations, not in a rush. I looked at Ally & Jacob.

"We should split up, like the lady said," I told them. Jacob shrugged.

"Eh, why not? Sounds cool to me,"

"Let's do it," Ally added in. I nodded.

"Okay, cool. Let's meet back here at the end to regroup…see you guys later." I said, walking away. I climbed up the stairs to the second level, which was about half the size of the lower floor. There were two large stations, exercise & security, set up, and then an open door into a spacious kitchen/classroom, where the cooking class was. I made a beeline for the cooking class. I walked in and found it half full with people. There were small sections of countertops, each with two stools, lined up in rows, three wide and four long. I chose a table in the front row. There was a small steel sink, along with various small cooking appliances, knives, spoons, and forks set out on the counter, making it apparent we'd have to share with whomever we sat by. A square wooden cutting board was laid out for each person. In the front of the room, there was a large whiteboard with "Food Magic: Organic Eating" written across the top in bright blue. In front of the board was a wide countertop with a large sink and a six-burner stove. Against the back wall was a large refrigerator. Laid out across the table were doppelgänger appliances like the small ones on the counter in front of me; food processors, blenders, and slicing machines.

A woman sat down on the stool next to me on my right. She was around my mom's age, maybe a little older. Her curly hair was the same color as her chocolate brown maxi dress, going nicely with her light brown skin.

"Hi, I'm Sasha," she said, holding her hand out. I smiled and shook it. I noticed she had an Australian accent. I figured she was of New Zealander descent.

"I'm Adriana, nice to meet you," she smiled at my response.

"Nice to meet you too," she replied.

"Where are you from?" I asked.

"Well, I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia," _bingo, _I thought,"but I moved America a few years ago in hopes of coming here…I guess it worked out well," she told me, "what about you? Where are _you _from?"

"Oh, I lived in Chicago my whole life…where did you live while you were in America?" I replied.

"I lived in a little town called Cheyenne, in Wyoming." She told me.

"How was the air?"

"They have some of the best air quality on Earth, but you could still barely see the sky…Cheyenne on a bad day was like Chicago on a good day. When I came to Chicago, it made Cheyenne look _a lot _better."

"Yeah, I've been out west before, with my mom for a medical conference in Seattle. The air there is really bad, too, but not like Chicago…the whole west coast has half as many people as the east does, and the air is crazy." I told her.

"Yeah, when I-" she was cut off as the instructor shut the classroom door and began speaking. I didn't see him at first as he walked towards the front of the room while talking.

"Okay, hey everybody. Before we go any farther, please know that this class will be taking up two of the three hour orientation. I just want you aware of that. I'll be giving you guys a quick overview of what you'll be eating for the rest of your lives," he added the last part with a little laugh. He reached the front of the room and stood behind the counter, his hands resting on the counter. I heard a few women sigh as they saw him. I felt a little woozy when I saw him. He was _so _heavenly. He had floppy, dark blonde hair and brown eyes. He was slightly, just ever so slightly, on the plump side; not fat, but not a twig. It looked like it was more muscle than anything. Taller than me, maybe 5'9" or 5'10", and his skin had a summery tan. He had an enchanting, toothy grin with perfectly straight teeth. He was wearing a simple, long sleeve button-up blue shirt and a pair of jeans. He looked around twenty-five or twenty-six. He ran his hand through his hair, unintentionally making me melt on the inside. I rested my head in my hands, watching him intently. My elbows struggled to stay in one place on the slippery-smooth countertop.

"Here in Terra Nova, the majority of the food is grown in the fields. What little isn't usually consists of wild beetles, lizards, and various human-safe fruits that are native to the area. All the food grown here is organic, meaning we do not use any chemicals to keep the plants bug and mold-free. Instead, we have _tons _of different types of little beetles that eat the malicious bugs and mold that kill the crops…I want to just define a couple words, as I'll probably be using them a lot." He turned the white board and began writing with the blue pen, defining two words with neat handwriting, "organic" and "healthy".

_Organic: the growing of food in such a way that lacks the use of chemicals used to help maintain the health of the product being grown _

_Healthy: a balanced, nutritious food item that provides the body with the right amounts of the required nutrients needed to live a healthy lifestyle_

_ex: a piece of candy isn't as healthy as an apple_

"Before we get into any further detail, I want us to all introduce ourselves. When it gets to you, please tell the group your name and where you lived in 2149…I'll start us off. My name is Henry, and I lived in Dallas, Texas." He pointed to a man on the end of the front row, who continued the introductions. The introductions reached Sasha quickly.

"I'm Sasha, and I was born and raised in Sydney, Australia, but I moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming a few years ago." She said.

"I've heard the Cheyenne has some of the best air quality in the world," Henry told her. She nodded. After a second, it was my turn. I used my friendliest voice.

"Hi everyone, I'm Adriana, and I lived in Chicago my entire life until my mom was recruited," I proudly told the class. Henry's eyebrows raised for a millisecond.

"Oh, really? What was she recruited for?" he asked. My heart fluttered.

"She's a doctor," I replied, looking him right in the eye. He nodded and moved on to the next person. After a couple more minutes of introductions, he gave us our first instructions.

"Today, we are going to learn how to make a very delicious drink that is a much-loved here in Terra Nova," he said, pulling fresh fruit and a large glass jug that was full of thick white stuff out of the fridge.

"What's that?" Someone asked.

"I have here, some strawberries, along with some vanilla yogurt," most people looked at their neighbor quizzically, not sure what any of those things are. Henry smiled & laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, they're wonderful. We're going to be making what's called a _smoothie… _the green stuff you guys have been instructed to drink for the next couple days is a 'protein smoothie', but those use water, not yogurt, like this one we're making." He told us, using air quotations.

"So we're going to be making more of that terrible stuff?" another person asked, a tinge of suspicion in his voice.

"No, we will be making a strawberry smoothie," Henry told the guy. To avoid any other questions, he distributed the ingredients to everyone. Each person received four plump, bright red strawberries and a generous scoop of yogurt in each blender. When he asked for an assistant to help with showing how to properly slice the strawberries, nearly every female's hand shot up, including my own.

"Hmm…who to pick?" he said teasingly, walking around the room in between the benches. He stopped behind me, looking right at an older woman, looking from her to the lady next to her. I couldn't help myself from looking down at his butt. _Even his butt's hot._

"Ah, I think I'll pick…you!" he whipped around, nearly jabbing me in the eye as he pointed at me. I heard the women behind me grumble, annoyed that he faked them out. My heart skipped a beat as I followed him to the front of the room. I stood next to him, following his lead as he showed the class how to slice the strawberries. Apparently, I was doing something wrong, because he stopped what he was doing.

"No, that's not right, it's all in the wrist!" he told me good-naturedly, but that was all I heard after that. He came on one side of me and put his arms around me. He put his hands over mine, guiding my fingers into a best position for holding the knife and strawberry. I knew that at that instant, I was the most envied person in the class. I could smell the scent of his clothing, a mixture of chocolate and something else I couldn't determine. Our heads were inches apart, and I could only hope that he couldn't feel the racing beat of my pulse in my wrist. I was enveloped in his warm arms in a state of euphoria. When he finally let go of me, my legs felt slightly wobbly. We finished chopping the strawberries, and then I went back to my seat. When I sat down, I could feel the eyes of everyone else burning into my back. Everyone dumped their now chopped strawberries into their blenders.

"Okay, make sure the lid is on your blender, and hold the lid down while you blend it!" He said, the signal to start the blending. The room suddenly turned into a chaotic blast of metal noise. I could feel the machine working its magic, myself joining in the chorus of oohs and ahhs as the mixture was mixed together, turning it a pinkish color. I stopped mine multiple times and stirred the mixture to help break up the clumps. When I was done, I poured it into a cup that had been placed for each person and sat it in front of me on the counter. It seemed to be teasing me as I waited for the O.K to drink it. I only had to wait for a little longer before Henry brought the classes' attention to himself.

"Okay, guys, now that we've mixed up the smoothies, give it a try!" I followed his actions and tried the drink. I raised it to my lips hesitantly, taking a small sip. There was a fruity explosion in my mouth; I tasted the tart sweetness of the strawberries and the richness of the yogurt. I had to restrain myself from spitting it out at first, as my body wasn't prepared for the flavors. I managed to keep it down, and then proceeded to drink it in large gulps, wanting the cup to be bottomless. I had the cup turned nearly upside down as I drank the heavenly liquid, finishing it off. When I looked at Sasha, she looked almost the same as me. I sat the cup down, looking at it dejectedly, wishing I had more. All around the class, people were busy talking, chatting, and laughing with their friends. I joined into a conversation with Sasha and a couple other women, the four of us chatting about life in 2149, and how terrible it was. Apparently, none of us had ever seen a cat or dog in person. I left the conversation after a while and turned back to my cup, wishing it were full.

"Hello," I was startled as Henry pulled a stool up to the counter, partially blocking the walkway.

"Oh, hey," I said.

"Henry Rost," he said, holding his hand out like a dork. I smiled and shook it.

"Adriana Prevot, nice to meet you," I told him.

"Nice to meet you, too…did you enjoy your smoothie?" he was smiling. I felt his knee touch mine.

"Actually, yeah. That's_ really _good." I told him, laughing a little. He nodded.

"Good…my family loves it when I make these for breakfast," he replied. I looked at him funny.

"…what?" he asked.

"You live at _home_?" I asked, purposely emphasizing the word 'home'.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" he asked, puzzled.

"Aren't you like, twenty-five?" I asked in response.

"…no?" he replied, slowly saying 'no'.

"You aren't?" _Awkward…_

"Nope. I'm only sixteen." He told me.

"Wow, you definitely don't look like it!" he smiled at my reply.

"I'll take that as a compliment…but everyone thinks I look older. I'm not sure why, though," he told me. _Because you're drop dead gorgeous. _

"So, you lived in Dallas?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yup, my family lived there for the past six generations."

"Wow, it must've been hard to leave all those people behind to come here." I asked. His eyes suddenly fell sad.

"…no. The weather down there was like it was during the Great Depression in the 1930's, and mixed with the air pollution, it was terrible. In one summer, all the family I had there was wiped out from Dusty Lung. Somehow, my family managed to survive, though my little brother was fighting it, but his wasn't very bad." I'd heard of the sickness. It was a terrible respiratory ailment from breathing in too much dirt, which was hard to avoid when the dirt and sand was always blowing around you. It left people coughing up blood and struggling to breathe.

"That's terrible," I told him. It was all I could manage to say. He shrugged half-heartedly.

"A couple days after two of my cousins died, we got a call telling us that our family had won places on the next pilgrimage through the lottery. We only got four tickets, but my dad got recruited 'cause he's in the military." He told me. His eyes brightened as he talked. "Things got better after we came here. My brother got better after only a week or two." I smiled.

"That's good…is he your only sibling?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Nope. I have an older brother, too. He's twenty-two, and my little brother is eleven…but my little brother is actually my half-brother." He told me. I nodded. "What about you? Who'd you come with?" he asked.

"My mom and brother, and my cousin. My brother's seventeen, and my cousin's fifteen, only a month younger than me." I told him.

"So you're fifteen, then?" he asked. I nodded.

"So we'll probably be in the same grade, then." He told me.

"Probably," I replied. He looked down at his watch quickly.

"I've got to get back to teaching the rest of the class. You want to meet up after orientation?" he asked, standing up.

"Sure, where?" I replied.

"How about outside the main doors? I think that's a pretty easy spot to find." He told me. I nodded.

"Sounds good to me," I replied.

"Cool," he said, leaving. The class continued on for another hour-and-a-half, with Henry talking about the importance of vegetables.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

When Henry finally finished talking, he held the door open for us as everyone exited the room. I made sure to be last out the door. When it was my turn to walk out the door, he stopped me. He put his arm across the door, blocking my path.

"See you in an hour, right?" he smiled his toothy grin, making me laugh.

"Of course," I replied, smiling. He put his arm down.

"Go," he said with a little nod to his head as he talked, smiling. I passed by him. When I had gone about twenty feet, I gave him a quick glance over my shoulder as I walked. I smiled and gave him a little wave. He smiled and waved back. Jacob suddenly showed up next to me and put his arm around my shoulders.

"Hey little sis," he said. I noticed him look over his shoulder quickly in the direction of the cooking class. I shrugged out of his arm.

"Get off me, creep," I said, half joking. He snorted.

"Hi to you too," he said, smiling.

"What have you been up to?" I asked as we walked side-by-side down the stairs.

"Oh, I've checked out the dinosaur identification station and the security station. They're both pretty cool," he told me. I nodded.

"Interesting, I guess. I learned how to make a strawberry smoothie." He looked at me funny. I smiled and laughed.

"They're good, I promise," I reassured him. He shrugged.

"I'll take your word for it…so, who was that guy you were talking to?" he asked curiously, elbowing me in the side as we reached the ground floor.

"He's just the instructor for the cooking class," I told him. He rolled his eyes.

"_Just _the instructor…man, how old is he? Twenty-five? Sheesh, who are you… Ally?" He replied.

"Oh, stop it," I said, playfully shoving him, making him laugh. I looked around. "Where should we go? We still have another hour," I asked. He looked around. There was a camouflage station that only had four people at it. I pointed to it, and Jacob nodded. We headed over to the station, greeted by muscular guy with brown, green, and black face paint in streaks on his face.

"Welcome to camouflage 101! I'm Maxwell. Who's going to get camo'd?" he asked cheerily. I looked at Jacob.

"You don't mess with carefully done makeup like this," I said, half serious. He grinned.

"You're so prissy, but that's what big brothers are for, right?" he replied. I nodded.

"Exactly. To do the dirty work because they _love _their darling sister." I told him sarcastically. Maxwell laughed.

"You guys are too weird," he told us, making us both laugh.

"You couldn't be righter, my friend," Jacob told him.

"Come on, let's get you guys set up," Maxwell said, leading us to a station set up next to a couple other, already occupied, stations. Each one had various paints, plant leaves, and twigs laid out on a small table, along with a chair for someone to sit in. A small handheld mirror also sat off to the side underneath a selection of photos of painted, camouflaged people. The floor was covered with a thick piece of clear plastic. Off to the side, away from the stations, was a large plastic bucket full of thick, grey muck. Next to it sat a larger bucket of clear water.

"Here," he said, pointing Jacob to the chair as he picked up the photos. "What you'll want to do is kind of interpret these examples and make it your own…because, you know, if you get stuck out in the jungle or you're on military or whatever the situation may be, you'll want to make what works best, not worry about copying a model." I nodded.

"If you want to be really authentic, you _could_ use some mud," he said pointing the bucket in the corner. I looked at Jacob, and I _knew _ I must've had a devilish grin on my face. He let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, I guess…just, don't get any on my clothes; I don't want to see May while I'm wearing dirty clothes." I smiled. _If you're having your sister paint mud on your face, and you think she'll listen to your requests, you are seriously delusional. _

"I'll do my best," I reassured him. Maxwell nodded.

"I'll leave you to it. Just ask if you have any questions." He walked away. I looked through the pictures. One stood out to me in particular. The guy's face was painted greyish-brownish-green, with smears of the colors clearly defined, not all mixed together into one foul-looking color. There were small streaks of bare skin that I figured helped the camo look like foliage in dappled sunlight. He had small green leaves placed at all angles, along with two twigs stuck to his forehead so they looked like two little horns on his head. Each one had more leaves on the top. I imagined walking behind this guy; you'd get to watch the little leaves bobble around all day.

Placing my hand into the bucket, I filled it with the gooey mud. The stench was awful, and nearly made me gag. Holding my now-muddy hand off to one side, I used the fingers on my other hand to carefully apply the foul-smelling stuff to his face. He coughed at the smell. I streaked it on face at all angles, leaving sections of bare skin for more paint and for the "dappled sunshine" effect. Jacob wrinkled his nose at the smell, but said nothing. I went and dipped my hands in the bucket of water to clean them off. Coming back to the station, I picked up a handful of the four-inch-long twigs and stuck them to his forehead one at a time with a little mud. Each one had various small leaves poking out the top. I pasted leaves all over his face, and used brown and green paint to blend the leaves in well.

I took my time, spending almost twenty minutes doing the camouflage. When I was done, I gave Jacob the mirror. He smiled, making the leaves on his face move.

"Wow, good job, Adri," he told me. I smiled.

"Thank you. I wanted to be very thorough with it." I replied.

"You did good…now lemme-" I watched his eyes drop down to his white shirt, where a large blob of brown paint had made itself at home. His eyes bugged out of his head.

"What the hell! I told you to be careful!" he began to desperately wipe the stuff off his shirt.

"Dammit!" he yelled. He jumped out of the chair and ran off to the bathroom to try and clean the stain out. I looked at Maxwell, who had seen the whole scenario unfold. He was smiling.

"I thank I'm gonna go now…" I said, leaving the station quickly. I could hear him laughing. Getting out into the middle of the room, I saw Ally sitting at the dinosaur identification station. I zoomed over and quietly slid into the seat next to her. She looked over and smiled, but then turned back to the instructor, who was talking about a dinosaur called carnotaurus. The instructor was a bug-eyed woman whose facial features reminded me of a frog. She was describing how carnotaurus would occasionally show up and poke around the area of the fence surrounding the colony. She said that they come to gate to investigate because they are extremely curious, and make bird-like noises of curiosity. On a projector screen behind her, pictures of the fearsome beast flashed by. Most were from far range, but there was a segment of photos that appeared to be of a dead one, with up-close pictures of teeth, eyes, and claws. I stopped listening to the woman after a while, mesmerized by the high definition photos of the various dinosaurs. She continued to blather on, never relenting.

"Adriana!" I turned my head and saw Jacob standing about four yards away. The brown spot on his shirt was an ugly, wet blot. He didn't say anything else; he gave me the most recognized hand gesture in the American culture and stormed away. I figured he was going home to change his shirt. I smirked and turned back to the woman, who had shifted her information to slashers. Ally was listening intently while watching the photos on the screen. I stopped paying attention after a while, but when she started talking about the barbs on their tails, it piqued my interest. I listened intently after that, as I was now interested. She seemed to barely begin talking when someone across the room yelled that it was 12:30, the end of the orientation.

"Oh, shoot!" she exclaimed. "thanks for listening! You can always find me over at the science labs if you want any more information!" Ally and I climbed out of our seats, meandering towards the doors. I noticed the sky had turned an ugly grey color, threatening to dump buckets of rain. Ally turned to me as we made our way out onto the gravel roadway.

"Where's Jacob?" she asked. I looked over her shoulder and noticed Jacob approaching, wearing a brown t-shirt and no flannel. I pointed to him and waved. He didn't wave back. We walked to him.

"Thanks, I missed the last part of orientation." He told me. I shrugged with a smile.

"Like you really care…and besides, don't you have to go look for May?" I told him.

"_We _have to go look for May, Adriana. Remember?" he told me smugly. I let out a breath of exasperation, remembering about my previous plans with Jacob.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, no, I just forgot that we going to look for her…" I trailed off awkwardly.

"Why? Did you have _other _plans?" he asked sarcastically. Ally watched our conversation, amused.

"Well…"

"Adriana!" I heard someone call. I turned around and saw Henry making his way towards us, wearing an unzipped grey hoodie. _Oh no._

"Hey," he said, reaching our little group. _Great. _Ally's eyes bugged out of her head when she saw him.

"Hey," I replied, smiling to him. "Let's go." I said, backing away from Jacob. Henry followed me. I hurried to get away from my brother.

"Adriana!" he yelled to me as we walked away.

"It's okay, Jacob, I'll help you!" Ally said cheerily.

"Tell mom I'll be back later!"

"- you!" he yelled, louder this time. His voice was obscured as more distance between us, but it didn't take much to know what had began the sentence. I glanced over my shoulder and saw them walking in the opposite direction, already out of hearing range. I turned to Henry, who was walking close to me.

"Is that normal for you guys?" he asked, laughing. I nodded.

"Completely. If he gets _really _angry, he starts dropping f-bombs. 'F-you this, f-you that'…you know, stupid stuff pissed off people say." I replied.

"Sounds like me and my older brother as kids, except back then we called each other buttholes and poop faces…stuff little boys say to each other. Basically the only time we weren't fighting each other was when we were playing soccer." He told me, making me laugh.

"You play soccer?" I asked. He smiled.

"Yup. I'm on the colony's team right now." He told me proudly.

"I think that's what my brother wants to do…he's big on soccer."

"He should join…there's going to be some games on Sunday."

"Why Sunday?" I asked. Having soccer games on a Sunday seemed a little goofy.

"Because there are a couple of our players on the medical convoy that's out in the jungle right now."

"Who's out there?" I asked.

"Our captain, she's out there, and she's really good. And then just some other great players that wouldn't want to miss this game. It's pretty big, seeing as it's the first one since the pilgrimage." He replied. We walked in silence for a few minutes, our feet crunching under the gravel.

"Did you guys ever get into physical fights?" I asked curiously after a while, referring back to him and his brother fighting when they were little. He smiled and nodded.

"Yup…we'd usually just end up putting each other in choke holds until our dad or stepmom broke up the fight…like this!" he said, playfully putting his right arm around my neck and, effectively, trapping my head.

"Agh!" I said, laughing. "Let go!" he loosened his grip so his arm was around my shoulders, the tips of his fingers resting just inches above my breasts along my collarbone. It was a position I wasn't exactly comfortable with; I had never once in my life experienced this kind of closeness with a person of the opposite gender. Yet, something told me there was no harm in it, that it was innocent, friendly closeness. I looked at him.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked, pointing to his hand. He smiled.

"We're friends, right?" he asked.

"Of course," I replied.

"Friends can't put their arms around each other?" he asked with a goofy smile.

"They can," I said, smiling. He smiled back.

"So, where are we going?" I asked after a couple minutes of silent walking, the only sounds we made being the gravel crunching under our feet.

"It's a secret," he said, grinning.

"Should I be worried?" I asked.

"You can be worried, though there's no reason to be worried." He told me. His way of saying things was funny; it made sense, but it didn't make sense at the same time. Before I could reply, there was a large clap of thunder. The sky opened up and rain poured down on us. It wasn't large, heavy drops like I was used to, but instead, a thick, heavy mist that soaked everything.

"Agh!" I said, covering my head with my arms. Henry peeled off his jacket and gave it to me. I couldn't believe he was letting me wear it, but I couldn't refuse it. I zipped it up and pulled the hood up. It was warm and soft on the inside, fitting me almost perfectly.

"Come on!" he yelled to me, holding his hand out. I grabbed it and held tight as we ran through the rain. He knew where he was going, wherever that was, so I didn't hesitate to follow him. I nearly slipped a few times, but managed to keep up with him. When we had ran for what felt like forever, we came to a building with a long porch. It looked identical to every other house in Terra Nova; blue shutter windows, wooden walls, and the dome-shaped roof. Letting go of his hand, I took in the porch. Scattered about were wicker chairs with plump seat cushions. A few chewed, rubber rings laid about; some were in chairs, others on the cement floor, and some under the chairs. A chicken wire fence three feet tall was strung along the perimeter of the porch. A hand-painted sign reading, _Welcome, come on in!_,was nailed to the door. I looked at Henry.

"Where are we?" I asked, confused. He smiled.

"You'll see," he told me. He knocked on the door and turned the knob, letting himself in. I followed him cautiously. Inside, it had the same general look of my own home; tube walls, frosted windows, blue shutters. I could hear the soft, rhythmic sound of the rain on the roof outside. Three small metal enclosures were set up around the room, each one containing soft blankets with piles of fur curled up, asleep. A woman in her fifties or sixties climbed out of a chair, carefully making her way over to us. She held a finger her to her mouth as a signal to be quiet. Reaching us, she shook Henry's hand.

"You're Henry, right?" she said in a hushed voice. Henry nodded.

"That's me," he told her. She looked to me. I smiled.

"I'm Adriana," I introduced myself.

"Nice to meet you, dear, I'm Erin," she replied, shaking my hand. She turned to Henry.

"I've got three litters right now. There's three frenchies, two chocolate labs, and two Germans." She told him. I was beyond lost.

"Huh?" I asked. She looked at me like I was crazy.

"She just got here yesterday, she's never seen any of them." Henry jumped in. Her face dropped in understanding.

"Oh, you've never seen them, have you? Dogs, sweetie, _dogs._" She told me. _Dogs! _I smiled from ear to ear.

"Can…can I pet them?" I asked. She nodded.

"Just be gentle when petting them; I've just managed to get them all to sleep." I nodded and walked past her quietly, approaching the nearest pile of dogs. Two fat, chocolate-brown dogs were plopped down against the edge of the little fence, one laying half on top of the other. Next to them was a larger dog that looked the same as the puppies, with a swollen stomach ready to feed her babies. They had floppy ears and black noses. I looked at Erin for a confirmation, and she nodded. Reaching my arm over the fence into the enclosure, I stroked one with a single finger. Its fur was amazingly soft and smooth. I held its little ear in my fingers, impossibly floppy and cute.

"Those are chocolate Labrador Retrievers…most people call them chocolate labs for short. These two little boys are four weeks old." Erin told me. I nodded and stroked the puppy's side with my hand. I could feel its little heart beating through its side. I stroked the other puppy and then the mother on the head. She opened her eyes and briefly sniffed my hand before going back to sleep. I then moved on to the next enclosure.

Two puppies that were twice as big as the labs slept curled up against their mother. All three had tan and black fur. The puppies' ears were floppy, while their mother's were pointed. They all had fluffy fur that was coarse, but still soft to the touch. The mother didn't react at all when I stroked her neck, while one of the puppies' feet twitched.

"How old are they?" I asked quietly.

"These pups are nine weeks," Erin told me. I nodded and moved to the last enclosure, which was smaller than the other two. Curled up in a small group in a nest of blankets were four dogs; a small mother and three even smaller babies. They varied in color; the mother was (very) light brown, white, black, and tan. Two of the puppies were mostly white, black, and tan with streaks of light brown here and there, while the other one was light brown and white, with brown over the eyes and white between the eyes and on the mouth and stomach. The dogs had short legs and their ears were pointed, but relaxed while they slept. I reached down and gently put my hand on the side of the brown and white pup. It opened its eyes and looked at me, dazed and confused. It had buggy, dark blue-grey eyes and a black nose that sat in the middle of its square mug. I looked at Erin again, and then carefully scooped up the puppy. I held it to my chest, supporting its rump with one hand, and its back with the other. I slowly sat down and stroked the puppy with a single finger. Henry and Erin were watching me quietly. I could feel a massive smile spreading across my face, making Henry laugh a bit.

"Those are the French bulldogs. People call them frenchies for short…that one you've got there is a female. Between the seven puppies here, that one you're holding and the two German shepards are the only females." She told me.

"Are there lots of people lined up to adopt them?" Henry asked.

"Nope, even though most people have some knowledge of these dogs' existence. Whenever the puppies go outside, they're on the porch inside the fence, or in the back yard, and that's got bushes on almost every side… I usually take them out back, seeing as there's more room to run, anyways." She told him.

"Why do you have them?" I asked.

"My son works in the science division here, and they were trying to repopulate dogs here in Terra Nova…they didn't want to just go around telling everyone at first, so they're trying to keep it on the down low, I guess." She replied.

"But how are they keeping it on the down low if the dogs are out front where people can see them?" I inquired.

"We're not trying to keep them secret, just trying to carefully introduce the idea of pet dogs. If people ask about it, we tell 'em the plan to reintroduce them. It's been received pretty well with the colonists." She told me.

"Is there anyone who's going to adopt one?" I asked, looking down at the puppy in my arms.

"Right now, both the labs have owners waiting for them to be old enough to leave their mom, and one of the German shepards will be going to a new home in a few days." She replied. I nodded.

"And how old are these guys?" Henry said, walking over to the French bulldog's enclosure.

"Oh, they'll be nine weeks tomorrow, actually," she replied, looking at him. She sat down on a cushy couch a few feet away from us, smiling. Henry reached over and stroked the mother's head. She opened her eyes and looked up at him, her ears flopping in her face. Henry smiled and let her sniff his fingers. She sniffed them and then briefly licked his fingers, making him laugh quietly.

"What?" I asked, smiling.

"I guess she could smell the strawberries on my hand," he replied.

"They've got a keen sense of smell, those dogs." Erin commented. He nodded.

"Has anyone came forward wanting one of these three?" I asked, talking about the French bulldogs. She shook her head.

"Not at all," she told me.

"That's so_ weird…_they're adorable!" I replied. She nodded.

"I've often wondered if the price is too much." She said.

"Price?" I asked, cocking my head.

"Yes, the price. People who want to adopt one of the dogs have to pay about two hundred terras…it is not for a profit, but to cover expenses; food, water, bedding, time off from work, you know, that kind if stuff. Whatever is left over after paying the expenses is given to me, though I don't have much use for it…whatever's mine I usually just give to friends and family." She told me.

"Maybe people prefer the German shepards or the labs over frenchies, and it isn't the price," I replied. She shrugged.

"Either way, there is _someone _who has put down a deposit on a dog, though they haven't chosen one yet." She remarked.

"Who's that?" I asked, looking at her. She looked at me, and then to Henry standing behind me. She raised her eyebrows and nodded her head slightly instead of pointing. I looked at Henry.

"You did?" I asked. He slowly nodded.

"That would be me," he confirmed.

"Which one are you going to pick?" I asked, carefully standing up while holding the drowsy puppy.

"I'm just paying for it." He replied.

"Huh?" He put his hand to the back of his neck, almost looking a little embarrassed.

"I, uh, overheard you and some of the others in the cooking class talking about dogs…I heard you say that you'd never actually seen one before in person, but that you wanted one." He dropped his hand.

"So-" I said, barely getting the word out.

"I called Erin after the class got out and arranged a payment…I figured that if you didn't want one, I could always just pick one for my family." He cut in, embarrassed. I smiled.

"That's _so _sweet, thank you…nobody has ever done something like that for me." I replied. I carefully hugged him with one arm while holding the puppy. Somewhat squashed between us, the little puppy clambered up my chest, licking my face. Pulling away from Henry, I sat down on the couch next to Erin. The puppy was now fully awake; she jumped all over me, wagging her little tail. She climbed up my chest, playing with my hair, making me laugh.

"That one is a handful, I'll tell you that," Erin told me. I nodded, trying not to laugh too loudly.

"Can I take her out back?" I asked. Erin nodded.

"Follow me," I held the puppy in my arms, following Erin to a door at the back of the room. She held it open, and led me into a fenced-in yard about ten feet long and twenty feet wide. A thick layer of lush green grass covered the ground, apart from a small stone patio. All along the perimeter of the fence were green ferns and bushes, some sporting brightly colored flowers. I was glad to see it had stopped raining. I sat the puppy on the ground, and she went berserk, running around the yard like crazy. I picked up a stick and threw it across the yard. She chased after it, bringing it back to me in her mouth. When I tried taking the stick from her, she held on tight, forcing us into a playful game of tug-o-war. When I managed to get the stick back, I threw it a few more times before bringing her back inside. Henry was quietly watching the puppies sleep, sitting in a wicker chair. He stood up when the three of us came inside.

"What do you think?" he asked, looking at me hopefully. I smiled.

"I like her, but I'll have to run it by my family. I think they'll be pretty open to having a dog, though." I told him. I turned to Erin.

"When can she be taken home?" I asked her.

"That one can leave next week…I want to wait for them to be nine weeks before they leave mom." She replied. Looking down at the googly-eyed cutie in my arms, I gave her little hug and then gently placed her in her enclosure with her family. She looked at me, made a little huffing sound, and plopped down next her siblings. Henry slipped his coat on.

"If my mom ok's it, we'll be back eight days to pick her up." I told her. She nodded.

"Feel free to bring them by anytime…just send word ahead of time to make sure I'm home," She replied. Henry motioned with a flick of his head that it was time to go. I nodded and shook Erin's hand again.

"I think we're going to head out…thank you," I told her. She nodded and led us to the door.

"See you soon, hopefully!" she said, holding the door open. I followed Henry out the door, waving to Erin as she shut the door hastily. I joined Henry out in the road, where we walked at leisurely pace away from Erin's house. I followed next to him, not paying much attention where we were walking to.

"She seemed pretty keen on getting rid of us," I said. Henry shrugged.

"It's nothing personal…I've heard all the rumors about her." He told me. I looked at him, confused.

"_Rumors?_"

"Yeah…gossip around the colony is that her husband died right after their son came on the second, and somewhere in between then and when she came on the fifth, she went kind of crazy." He replied. I shrugged.

"Who knows? Aren't we all crazy for coming to a dinosaur-infested, hostile environment to try and save humanity?" I asked, partially sarcastic. He burst out into laughter.

"That's a good point. But you know what's _really_ crazy?" he asked, stopping.

"What?" I asked.

"Going OTG," he said, pointing in front of us.


	9. Chapter 9

**I feel like nobody is reading at all. Please leave some form of feedback so I have some way to know that you guys are out there. I'd really appreciate it!**

Chapter Nine

We had walked down between two houses, and stood along a narrow strip of dirt between the fence and houses. Just a few feet in front of us, within arm's reach, was the massive, menacing fence that separated the colony from the jungle. Lush greenery blossomed everywhere outside the gates. I looked at Henry.

"What are we doing here?" I asked. He smiled in response.

"I dunno," he said, slipping through the three-foot-tall opening at the bottom of the fence. He stood up on the other side, outside the gates, "maybe you should follow me and find out!" I felt my eyes bug out of my head. He laughed and waved me to follow him. I wanted to question his intentions, but something told me I shouldn't worry, that he wouldn't lead me astray. Taking a deep breath, I slid under the fence and stood up next to him. Looking back, the whole colony disappeared behind me as we ran into the jungle.

We slid through the shadows of the jungle for a good half hour. Henry wouldn't say where we were going; just that it would be worth it. We talked quietly, trying to go unnoticed. Every time I heard a twig snap or something screech, I froze, paralyzed with fear. The jungle would sometimes get so quiet that the only thing we could hear was each other's ragged breaths as our bodies worked hard to keep us moving quickly through the jungle.

"Don't worry, that's just a howler," He told me after a loud, fearsome screech ripped through the valley. "If it were nearby, it would've been louder."

"Where are we going?" I asked for the thousandth time, stopping a few feet behind him. He looked back at me as he ducked under a thick clump of ferns at least ten feet tall.

"Here," he said as I joined him on the other side of the fern-y wall. Latched to the trunk of a large tree was a wooden plank with ropes attached on either side. Coming down on one side of the seat, hooked to its own section of the tree, was a thick rope with large knots every few feet. The ropes that were attached to the sides of the plank joined together four or five feet up in a triangle shape. He unhooked the plank & rope from the tree and looked at me.

"Ladies first," he said, motioning to the seat. I carefully sat down, tightly holding on to the ropes. I expected it to be some kind of swing…or something.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Hold on tight!" he replied, pulling the free rope with both hands. I began to rise up off the ground, _quickly_.

"What the hell is this, Henry?" I yelled down as I went higher and higher into the air.

"Look up and climb in there!" he yelled to me. I looked up and found a wooden platform surrounding the tree trunk, with a square-ish opening next to the trunk, ten feet above. Next to the opening, on a large branch, was the rope, slung over one side and down the other as a pulley. Reaching the opening, I clambered in, pulling myself onto the platform with shaking arms. Inside was a decent-sized room with a tall, slanted roof made from live green leaves and branches. The walls were all woven leaves and branches. I turned around on my hands & knees and looked down. Far below me, I could see Henry's smiling face. It had to have been at least seventy yards to the ground. I felt slightly woozy.

"Lower the seat down!" he yelled up to me. I slowly gave the rope slack until the seat reached him. Before I could do anything else, he was pulling himself up towards me with the rope pulley. I could see the muscles in his arms bulging slightly as he pulled the rope. When he got up to the platform, he secured his foot on the tree branch the pulley was on, slung his other leg through the opening, and pulled himself up next to me. He pulled the seat through the hole and sat it down.

"Plethora!" he said, sitting down.

"_What_?"

"Oh, yeah, plethora. It's used a lot here in Terra Nova…you'll get used to it." He told me, winking. I rolled my eyes good naturedly.

"What is this place?" I asked.

"This is where I spend a lot of my time… it's my sketching place," he told me.

"Why here?" I asked.

"Here," he said, standing up. He held his hand out to me. I took it to help stand up. I followed him to the other side of the platform, where there was a large, ten by ten opening in the foliage. The sky shone a bright blue, with a sea of green below us.

"This must be one of the tallest trees for miles," I said, squeaking closer to the edge of the platform.

"It is," he told me.

"You said this is your sketching place…so, where's your sketching stuff?" I asked.

"Right here," he replied, pulling a plastic bin out of a nook in the tree trunk, hidden behind a large green leaf. He snapped the lid off and showed me the contents. Inside, there were four or five pencils, an old-fashioned handheld pencil sharpener, a thick pad of paper, some color pencils, and an eraser.

"Whoah, vintage much," I said in awe. He smiled and nodded.

"It works a lot better than a Plex for drawing them," he told me. I looked at him.

"_Them?_" I asked. He placed the box on the ground.

"Turn around," he instructed me. I turned around and nearly fell out of the tree. Just feet away, nearly filling in the hole that I had just been standing at, was a massive brown, scaly head. It had two eyes the size of my fists, a large mouth, and a ridge between its eyes. _A dinosaur._

"Ahhhhh!" I said, stumbling backwards to the floor. I could feel my heart beating a hundred miles an hour. The thing let out a loud _gahhhh!_, opening its mouth a foot or two to let out the fearsome sound. Laughing, Henry walked up to it and patted it between the eyes. I looked at him, bewildered.

"What the hell are you doing?" I asked. I was breathing in deep breaths.

"This is Eros," he told me, smiling.

"You _named _it?" I asked. He nodded.

"She's gotta have name, doesn't she?" he replied.

"_She_?" I asked.

"Yeah, she. It's a girl," he told me, looking at the dinosaur.

"How do you know?" I asked, carefully standing up.

"There's markings on her neck, but you can't see them from here." He told me. The dinosaur's eye turned to me, and it let out a _eeeeuuuuuhhhhh _that started high and went low_,_ making me take a few steps back. Henry laughed.

"It's okay…do you want to come touch her?" he asked, looking at me. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly. He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Is it safe?" I questioned. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Trust, me, it's safe," he reassured me. I carefully stepped forward, inching closer and closer to the massive Eros. Standing just feet away from her head, I slowly reached out my hand, gently placing it between her eyes. Her brownish skin was hard and scaly, dry to the touch. Eros' eye looked at me. She opened up her mouth and let out another _eeeeuuuuuhhhhh_, this one less frightening than the first. When she made the sound, I could feel the vibrations in her neck reverberating up into her head.

"What is she?" I asked, looking at Jacob, who had taken his hand off her head.

"A brontosaurus…they're some of the tallest dinosaurs that ever existed." He told me.

"Wow,' I said, admiring her tough skin. Suddenly, Henry snapped his fingers and scrambled to get his drawing tools. He sat down on the floor and began sketching something.

"What're you doing?" I asked, looking from him to Eros.

"Sketching you guys…stay put. If she tries moving away, call out 'plethora'." He told me.

"Plethora? I thought that was a Terra Nova thing," I replied. He looked at me sheepishly.

"Uh, I had to lie about that…it's really just a call I taught her so she stays put…sorry." He apologized. I laughed a bit.

"I figured as much," I replied. We fell silent for a while, me petting Eros while Henry sketched. After a while, he began talking and telling me about brontosaurs. He explained what they ate, how they socialize, how they grow. They were pretty interesting to learn about. I plucked leaves off the sides of the little room, feeding them to Eros.

"There," Henry said, "finished."

He handed me the pad of paper and stroked Eros, feeding her some leaves. Looking at the paper, I was amazed. He had skillfully drawn and colored a picture of me with my hand on Eros' head. He had drawn it so well that it almost looked like a photograph.

"Wow," I whispered. He nodded.

"That's not even all that great of a picture, either," he told me. I looked at him.

"_It isn't?_"

"Nope…if I had a couple hours to do that, it would look just like a photo." He replied. I shrugged. Eros suddenly backed her head out of the opening and began browsing for leaves outside. I glanced at her and then looked at the photo, studying it.

"Oh well…it's beautiful…can I keep it?" I asked. He nodded.

"Go ahead," he told me. I carefully pulled it out of the book and folded it, slipping it into the pocket of my jeans.

"Look," he said, pointing out the opening. Eros had moved out of view, but in her place were four or five brontosaurs grazing the tree tops way out in front of us. I could hear them occasionally making noises as they ate.

"_C'est incroyable," _I murmured, speaking without thinking.

"What did you say?" Henry asked, looking at me with a confused expression. I awkwardly rested my hand on the back of my neck momentarily.

"It's French…I uh, I know a lot." I told him. He looked surprised.

"That's cool…what does it mean?" he asked.

"I said, _it's incredible_," I replied. Looking back at the brontosaurs, I could feel my face burning.

"It is," he remarked. We stood there, quietly watching the gentle giants.

"RAAAAHHHHHH!" A harsh, powerfulroar ripped through the air. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"What was tha-" I began to say loudly as I backed away from the opening.

"Shhhhh," Henry said, pulling me into his arms. He covered my mouth with his hand. We stood there, tensely listening. I glanced out into the opening and saw all the brontosaurs had disappeared. Directly below us, there were large, powerful footsteps. I slowly pulled Henry's hand off my mouth.

"What is it?" I asked, whispering very quietly.

"I'm going to look," he carefully let go of me and tiptoed over to the square opening in the floor we'd climbed in. I saw his eyes bug out of his head.

"What?" I whispered. He looked at me and motioned me over with one finger, quickly moving it to his lips as warning to be quiet. I tiptoed over to the opening and carefully squatted down next to Henry. Looking out the hole, I could see the giant bushes all around our tree moving violently. Then, a large dinosaur came through the bushes. It had brown, orange, and yellow skin, and was massively giant. I could see two horns above where its eyes must've been. It looked similar to the pictures of the carnotaurus we saw at orientation.

"Carnotaurus?" I whispered, almost silent. He looked at me and nodded. We watched the thing for a little while longer. Suddenly, I felt the urge to sneeze. _Oh no._ I tried holding it in, but I just couldn't.

"AH, AH, !" I sneezed loudly. Henry froze, his eyes wide as saucers. The thing stopped moving and turned around, coming right under out tree. My heart was beating a million miles a second. It began sniffing, making those 'curious' sounds we'd learned about. It lifted its head as much as it could, look right towards us.

"Don't move," Henry whispered, almost inaudibly. The thing must've been listening, because it cocked its head to the side, making bird-like noises. It circled the tree a few times, sniffing and occasionally scratching at the tree. After doing this for a few minutes, it suddenly slammed itself against the tree, throwing us across the room. I bounced against the tree trunk, clawing to it for dear life. Henry wasn't much better, slammed against the wall of leaves. Thankfully, he'd had the sense to weave branches into the wall to strengthen it. He crawled over to the tree and held on to a thick branch that was a couple inches wide and about a foot long. The carno let out an angry growl, and slammed the tree again just he grabbed hold of the branch. I fell into him, while he held tight to the branch. I scrabbled to grab hold of another branch as the carno clawed at the tree. I could feel hot tears streaming down my face. My throat began closing up, making it harder to breathe. I coughed.

"_Shhh…" _Henry said quietly. I nodded. Holding his hand out to me, he pulled his free arm around me, keeping me close. I curled my knees up to my chin, leaning into him. We sat in silence, listening to the fearsome beast below us investigate. We could clearly hear it growl as it sniffed around the tree and the surrounding area, scratching at other trees, but mostly the one we were in. After nearly half an hour of this, my muscles had stiffened and were painful to move. The carno let out a frustrated growl and tromped away, dissatisfied with being denied a meal. We sat in silence for another ten or fifteen minutes, listening to the jungle around us. We figured it was safe when the brontosaurs began reappearing off in the distance, going back to their normal foraging. I peeled myself out of Henry's arms, and carefully stood up.

"We need to get the hell out of here," Henry told me.

"Agreed," I replied, holding out a hand to help him up. He pulled himself up and looked out the hole in the floorboards.

"Look, here's the deal: if we get down on the ground, we'd probably have to go much slower, just to be quieter." He said, glancing at me.

"How long do you think it would take?" I asked. He shrugged.

"An hour, maybe two." He replied.

"Why _that_ long?" I questioned.

"Moving quietly and carefully takes time in the jungle," he explained, "which means we better get going now." He gathered up the art supplies, strewn across the floor, and carefully replaced them into their box, then placed them back in the hollow of the tree. Covering the box well with large, shiny, green leaves, he walked to the hole in the floor.

"I'll go first," he said, sitting down on the edge of the hole with his legs dangling out. He pulled the seat out into the open space and very slowly slid his leg down onto the tree branch below for support. He grabbed hold of the rope that was slung over the branch and carefully lowered himself into the seat. He looked up and me and then began silently lowering himself down the seventy yards to the ground. My hands began to hurt slightly as they did whenever I was doing something life-threatening or risky, like standing on the edge of a cliff or (in this case) riding a wooden board down seventy yards out of a tree.

Henry was fast; he was on the ground in two minutes flat. He gave me a thumbs up and easily raised the board up to me. Carefully, I sat on the edge of the hole as Henry had earlier. When the board reached me, I did as Henry had done and climbed out onto the tree limb.

When I went to sit on the seat, the board wasn't level, and slipped out from under me. I nearly fell to the ground had I not viciously clawed at the board, wrapping my arms around it tightly. My legs flailed around, not helping me.

"Henry!" I yelled, not caring what heard me.

"Hold on!" he yelled back to me, "I'll get you down fast!" He began lowering me, at times, letting the rope slide through his hands. When I reached the ground after what felt like an eternity, I let go of the seat the instant my feet touched the ground. As my legs and arms turned to jello when I put pressure on them, I collapsed into Henry's arms. My knees buckled under me, barely stopping me from falling over. He pulled me up from my armpits and helped me stagger into a stand. When I had managed to gain my balance, we began the careful journey home.

Every second longer we spent out in the jungle, I became more and more paranoid, more so than when we were going to the tree house. We had to walk quietly, not wanting to risk making noise. We walked side by side unconsciously, likely because neither of us wanted to be in the back or front. We didn't dare talk; we merely listened to the rustles of leaves in the wind and each other's breathing, along with the occasional sniffle or cough. I began going over in my head what I'd do when we saw May for the first time, just to keep my mind busy. After a while of that, my mind began to wander. I didn't want to think about the possibility that they didn't find her, but I couldn't stop my brain from exploring those ideas.

_What if she forgot about Jacob? About me? About us. What if she has a new boyfriend, or she's a lesbian…does she even want to know us still? Maybe she's just avoiding us… doesn't want any ties to the future, wants to start afresh. What if…what if she's…dead? That would depress Jacob, that would depress us all. However, we'd cry for a few days and then get over it. We'd know that it's just a part of life. Knowing her, she'd probably wish to have been eaten by a dinosaur. She wouldn't want to die from sickness, no, not all. She'd want to go out with a bang. With pizzazz and fireworks and sparkles. Her flame would take a lot to extinguish…no stupid dinosaur could get her…nothing could._

_She's alive. I know it._

"You okay?" Henry broke the silence, startling me.

"Huh?"

"I said, are you okay? You started to cry," he told me. I held my hand to my check and found it wet with tears. I felt my face burn up.

"Oh, I didn't realize I was crying. I was kind of in depth in my thoughts, I guess. But I am fine, I promise." I replied. He shrugged.

"I'll take your word for it…but, uh, we should probably move faster." He said.

"I agree. This place gives me the creeps, even in the middle of the day." I replied.

"Just wait until you're out here at night," he told me, a hint of mischief in his voice, "Come on," he waved me to follow, and we set off at a brisk jog.

After jogging nearly non stop for forty-five minutes, Henry slowed to a stop and looked at me.

"Phew, what a run…what time is it?" He silently showed me the watch on his wrist, letting me see the digital screening displaying _2:58_.

His face was covered in sweat as he rose his finger to his lips in warning. He crept up to a tall clump of bushes and peered through them carefully. I carefully came next to him, trying to get a view of whatever had his attention…and then I heard it.

Voices. We could hear voices. Three or four different voices, all male. I glanced at Henry and then slowly parted a few leaves in the bush so I could see. We were within eyesight of the section in the fence we'd escaped through, maybe ten feet away. On the other side of the menacing fence were four tough-looking men, one of which held an intimidating gun. I recognized Commander Taylor almost instantly. The others I'd never seen before.

"Oh shit," Henry murmured almost inaudibly.

"What?" I whispered.

"The one holding the gun…that's my dad…shit, shit, shit!" I looked at him, surprised.

"Your dad is in the military?" I asked, trying to be as quiet as possible. He nodded.

"Yeah. I'll tell you more later, 'cause if we got caught, he'd probably shoot my ass until I was mincemeat. If we get in trouble or something and can't talk for the rest of the day, then meet me at East market tomorrow around noon…or, just look me up on your Plex and shoot me a message. " he replied, making me giggle at the 'shoot my ass' part. He whipped his head at me, his eyes telling me I shouldn't have done that. I looked back at the fence.

"Quiet," Taylor said to his men almost immediately.

"Did you hear that, sir?" One of the others, a red-head around 24 or 25, asked.

"I heard noise…sounded like a laugh. Good ear, Dunham." He pointed directly at us, though I knew we were concealed well..

"Who's there?" Henry's dad asked, his voice commanding and powerful.

"Show yourself!" Taylor yelled.

"Now, or we shoot!" Henry's dad yelled, readying his weapon to fire. He pointed it at our hiding place. Before I could do anything about it, Henry burst out of the bushes. I saw his dad lower the weapon, while Taylor looked relieved.

"God dammit," Henry's dad cursed, "what the hell are you doing, son?" he asked.

"I, uh…" he began in reply, "I was out here showing a friend around." He rested his hand on the back of his neck momentarily, a sign of embarrassment.

"Who?" Taylor asked. Henry looked at me. Taking a deep breath, I came out of the bushes.

"Um…" was all I managed to say.

"Get inside, both of you. Now." Taylor commanded. We scrambled inside, crawling under the wall as we had done earlier. When I stood up, I was relieved to be on the safe side of the gates. _Though with these guys, it might be safer on the outside…_

"And what is your name, young lady?" Taylor asked.

"Adriana Prevot, sir," I told him.

"And what's your address?" he questioned.

"Honestly, I'm not sure, sir. I know where I live and all, but I don't know my address. This is my second day, sir."

"Okay then. You get on home now…we're going to have a word with Mr. Rost here," he told me, motioning to leave. Looking at Henry, I turned and ran.

Thankfully, I didn't hear any gunshots.

**Please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

**This chapter is kind of short, but I'll update in a couple days. If anyone is reading this, could you please leave a review? I fell like there's nobody reading my story.**

Chapter Ten

"So let me get this straight…you went off into the jungle with a complete stranger, and almost got eaten by a carnotaurus?" My mother asked me, her voice stabbing me with sharp icicles of anger. She had overheard me telling Ally about my adventure when I had got home, and had been chewing me out about it for the past half hour.

"You make it sound worse than it really is…" I mumbled under my breath.

"What?" she asked, walking up to me, her face just inches from mine. She was small, nearly a half foot shorter than me and forty pounds lighter, but when she got angry, I felt microscopic next to her. Her grey-green eyes were filled with white-hot fury. It was times like these that I could actually imagine my mother swatting me across the face with the back of her hand, though I knew she could never bring herself to hurt her own child, no matter how angry she was.

"Nothing," I muttered.

"Right, that's what I thought...go to your room, and stay there." She ordered me. Climbing out of the chair, I walked to my room with my tail between my legs, so to speak. I shut the door behind myself and plopped down on my bed. Ally was nowhere to be found, having left the house when the yelling started. I figured she had gone to meet up with Ryan. Not wanting to sit there in boredom for the rest of the night, I decided to take a nap. Settling my head down on my squishy pillow, I pulled a blanket up around my body, and felt asleep almost instantly, letting the warm cushiness of slumber overtake my exhausted body.

I was woken up to someone sitting down on the bed. Opening my eyes, I could sense I had been asleep for a solid four or five hours, as the sunlight coming in the window bathed the room in a golden-orange light. Looking down at the person sitting there, I was more than surprised to find my mother watching me. Her presence made me flinch away for a moment.

"Oh, uh, hey?" I asked, my voice groggy. My mother smiled.

"Hello, dear," she replied. I sat up next to her, my head spinning.

"What are you doing here? …aren't I still in trouble?" I questioned, looking at her. She shrugged.

"I was thinking about it, and realized that I overreacted. I mean, of course, you shouldn't be going outside the gates, really, but at the same time, what you did is something that I probably would've done at your age, so I can't blame you." She confessed. "I just want to apologize for how I yelled at you…I do feel kind of bad about that." I was dumbfounded, but not surprised. She wasn't one to normally anger quickly, but when she did, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and she usually felt bad about it afterwards.

"Thanks, I appreciate it, mom." I told her.

"Hug?" she asked. I nodded.

"Hug," I leaned over and gave her a hug. When she let me go, she stood up.

"Come eat some dinner now," she told me. I followed her into the main room, where Ally and Jacob were seated at the table. Spread out on the table was the remaining fruit, along with two plump loaves of bread and a large carafe of the green smoothie.

"Eat up, everyone," my mom told us as we joined them at the table. We each began digging into the food, starting with the smoothies.

"Let's just chug them all at once," Jacob suggested. Ally looked at him like he was absolutely crazy.

"Are you kidding me? You'd choke on the grossness." She told him.

"Is 'grossness' even a word?" I asked, laughing.

"It is now," she replied, smirking. I shrugged.

"Why not? On the count of three," I told Jacob.

"You kids are crazy," my mother told us, laughing.

"One,"

"Two,"

"Three!" we all yelled, raising the cups to our lips. I opened my mouth as wide as I could and drank it all down in ten seconds flat.

"Blech!" I said, coughing as the last of the stuff went down my throat. Looking at Ally and Jacob, I saw I wasn't alone; both were coughing down the last of their own drinks.

"Now for the good stuff," Jacob said, using a serrated knife to slice a thick piece of bread off of one loaf. I followed his actions with the other loaf, slicing off a piece of the fluffy stuff. I picked up a slice of dragon fruit along with a couple pieces of orange, gingerly setting them on my plate. I ripped off a piece of bread from my slice and chewed it slowly, enjoying the grainy flavor. I took a bite of dragon fruit. This time when I ate it, it didn't taste as sweet as before. _My body's finally beginning to adjust to the food_. When I finished that, I ate my oranges, and then finished my slice of bread, going back for a second, and then a third. We ate in silence for the rest of the meal. While cleaning up the dishes right after dinner, I decided to ask my mom the golden question.

"So…" I began, drying off the carafe while Ally rinsed dishes, Jacob put them away, and my mom did the scrubbing, "am I still in trouble?" I asked, looked at her. She looked at me.

"Nah, it seems kind of pointless now that I think about it." She told me. I nodded and finished drying the carafe. After the dishes were done, everyone dispersed to attend to their own agendas. The sun had managed to dip behind the hills, leaving the air in a pale golden stupor as darkness descended around us, nixing looking for Henry off my list. Sighing, I flopped down on my bed. Ally had come in behind me, closing the door behind her. She sat on her bed and began brushing out her braid.

"What were you and your mom talking about?" she asked, pulling at a snared tangle in her hair.

"Oh, she was saying that I'm not in trouble any more," I told her.

"Mhm…well, I'm going to sleep," she replied, pulling her blanket over her body. She hovered her hand over her bedside lamp to turn it off, leaving my own light the only light on in the rom.

"'Night," I said quietly. She waved her hand as sign that she heard me. I moved my Plex off my bed and sat it on the floor. I turned my own light off and laid down in the encroaching darkness. _Well, time to sleep._

_Wait, the Plex!_

I snatched it off the floor and turned it on. Going into the colony chat center icon, I was shown a complete list of everyone who was on their Plex at that moment. There were around forty or fifty, though that wasn't much in a colony of close to one thousand. There was a search engine that sorted through the list of those present, giving me the idea to just search his name instead of combing through the unorganized list for his name. I typed in Henry's last name, Rost, into the engine and clicked the search button. After thinking for a few seconds, it showed up with three results.

Cheryl Rost. _No, not her._

Tyler Rost. _Maybe his brother?_

Henry Rost. _Bingo._ Tapping on his name, it brought up a small menu of options. I clicked on the instant chat option. The Plex brought up a chat screen. I brought up the on-screen keyboard and tapped out a greeting.

[A.P] _Hey._

[H.R] _Oh, hi. Good to see you didn't get skinned alive. _

[A.P] _Likewise. I got chewed out for a good half hour and then took a nap _

[H.R] _Lucky. I swear, my dad almost popped a gasket. He was pissed._

[A.P] _That sucks. Did you get grounded or anything?_

[H.R] _Naw. My dad was the one who allowed me to build that shelter out there. He was more angry that I 'put you in danger'…said that that wasn't a very good idea for a first date. _His reply made my cheeks burn.

[A.P] _Hahahaha omg. That's awkward. It wasn't even really a date…right?_

[H.R] _Yeah I guess not. My dad was saying that if I really want to impress 'that girl' (as in you), then I should join the military._

[A.P] _The whole idea of being in the military freaks me out. Would you ever join?_

[H.R]_ Hell no. Hell no. Hell no._

[A.P] _Why not? You seem so tough, like you'd be perfect for it._

[H.R] _idk. Everyone tells me that, but do you think thats just cause of how I look? Everyone says I look really tough._

[A.P] _ You do. Maybe that's why I thought you were a lot older when we met._

[H.R]_ im definitely not, though…lol. I would never want to be in the military._

[A.P]_ then what do you want to do?_

[H.R] …_I want to be a chef_

[A.P] _ you don't even seem like the chef-y type lol_

[H.R] _and if my dad got his way, I'd never be a chef_

[A.P] _huh?_

[H.R]_ ok, so here's how it is… in my family, everyone kind of expects us boys to all go into the military when we r old enough. My older brother Tyler is already on the security team with my dad and he's only a few years older than me, and everyone kind of expects me to join when I turn 18 since im the next oldest after Tyler. My little brother Nick is all into sports and shit and is probably gonna join security just because he's too spineless to do anything else. My whole family is super athletic and strong so we're all perfect fits for a very physical job like that. In my dad's mind, having a son that is something other than an army dog would mean he failed as a parent. _

[A.P] _wow…just, wow. I think we should change the subject…so…uh…how's the weather? All this sun is weird._

[H.R] _LOLOLOLOLOL. Seriously just made me laugh out loud. The classic "how's the weather?" awkward subject change. _

[A.P] _haha seriously. But anyways, do you want to hang out tomorrow?_

[H.R] _yeah, sure. Have you seen the fields and the orchards yet?_

[A.P] _no, but I really want to. Can anyone go there?_

[H.R] _technically, yes, though most people kind of assume an unspoken rule; unless you have trees or work in agriculture or have some other reason, then you generally tend to stay out of the way, seeing as they're usually busy as hell there in the orchard or the fields._

[A.P] _can we do that tomorrow? Go see the orchard and the fields, that is._

[H.R] _sure. Meet me at the learning center tomorrow around ten, ok?_

[A.P] _sounds great. I'm gonna sign off and get some shuteye for tomorrow. Plus im super tired._

[H.R] _no problem. I think I'm gonna do the same thing. Night _ _ OH! And if you want to, bring a couple terras in case we end up buying anything._

[A.P] _lol, ok. Good night _

With that, I closed the chat window and powered off my Plex, getting out of bed quickly to set it on top of my dresser. Climbing back into bed, I adjusted my pillow to a comfortable position and pulled my blanket up to my chin. The blanket was an ideal blanket; it was soft and warm, but also long enough to allow me to curl it around my toes to keep them warm. As my body relaxed, I could feel the slight pain as my spine decompressed, letting all the day's stress out of my body. I closed my eyes, and drifted off into dreamland.


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry it's been so long since an update. I wanted to read through this chapter and make a few minor (as in, wording & details) changes, but I didn't get around to it until just now. So...here it is!**

Chapter Eleven

Waking up in a cold sweat, my mouth was dry and my breath stunk. Climbing out of bed, I went into the bathroom, where I fumbled around in the weak morning light for my toothbrush and some toothpaste. After brushing the foul taste out of my mouth, I splashed some water in my face, waking myself up. I couldn't stand the dirty feeling of being sweaty any longer; after taking a twenty-minute shower, I brushed my teeth again and dressed in my pajamas, which turned out to be my outfit from the day before, which I'd worn to bed. I wrapped my hair in a towel, making it look like I was wearing a turban. Going into the main room, I poked around in the cabinets for something to eat, but settled on the green smoothie. I figured that I might as well get it over with- the sooner, the better. I glugged the whole thing down, burping loudly when I finished it. The grotesque belch made me giggle, because I normally never burped that loudly.

I went back to my room and found my Plex. I twiddled around with it, browsing through the applications and options. I noticed that every game and application was somehow connected to Terra Nova- many were environmental games or had to do with dinosaurs, which was fine by me. I selected an application that had hundreds of different types of dinosaurs, each one chock full of facts, statistics, and photos. Many had videos of the actual dinosaurs. Not wanting to wake up Ally, I plugged in a set of headphones. I watched three videos before I felt myself growing bored. Turning off my Plex, I put on my grey slip-on sneakers, a jacket, and threw my damp hair in a ponytail. I wrote a note and left it on the dining table next to some of my mom's paperwork she'd been busy with the night before.

_Mom,_

_I am out looking around the colony. Left about 6:30. I'll only be gone a little while._

_-Adriana_

Walking out the front door, I was amazed at how quiet it was. The early morning light and a layer of fog made me feel like I was in the clouds, floating about weightlessly. I walked down our road, letting my feet lead me rather than my eyes. A squawk or screech reverberated across the valley occasionally, echoing throughout the colony. I walked farther down the never-ending road until I came to the fence, curving its way around the colony. It was only then that I realized I had walked all the way across the colony. I rested my hand on the smooth wooden beams, admiring the strength of the fence.

"You got me in trouble yesterday," I said, talking to the fence. I put my hands in my pockets, and was surprised to find a few terras. I decided to stop by that little café Ally and I had tried going to the day before. I walked quickly, making my way over to the café in only a five or six minutes. From a distance, I could see a woman unlocking the front door, letting herself in. She placed a chalkboard outside and began writing the day's specials with blue and green chalk. I approached, hoping I'd be able to buy something this early.

"You open?" I asked when I was a few yards away. I saw her startle a little, then she turned to look at me.

"Oh, hello. I just opened up, but feel free to come on in." she told me, smiling. She was wearing fitted capris, a brown jacket, and t-strap sandals. He auburn-colored hair rested mid-bicep in pretty waves. I walked in the open door and took in the inside of the small building. It was similar to the housing units with the tube walls and blue shutters, but had wicker chairs, wooden tables, and a thick marble slab that made a tall counter. Large, clear windows let in an abundance of natural light. I climbed up into a barstool and pulled a menu out of a holder on the counter. Looking over the menu, I grew frustrated, not knowing what any of the menu items were. After a couple minutes, the woman came inside and went behind the bar, past the stoves and preparation area, and into the back room. When she came back out to the bar, her jacket was off, her top obvious: a semi-sheer blouse with a bright green bra very prominently showing under it.

"What can I get ya?" she asked, a pen and paper in her hands. I could smell an orangey scent coming from her. It was a smell that I had never before had smelt in such a strong dose, and its sweetness almost made me cough.

"Uh, what would you recommend? I just came in on the ninth." I asked. Her eyes lit up.

"You trust me?" she asked. I nodded, smiling.

"Sure," I replied.

"Can I surprise you? I promise, you will like it!" she assured me.

"Okay, do it." I told her. She smiled and went behind into the cooking area. I watched her go about gathering ingredients and cooking something for almost ten minutes. I could smell something good cooking, but I didn't know what it was. She put everything in a plastic basket with a piece of checkered paper and sat it in front of me. She had grilled two pieces of bread, and in between the bread was a thick yellow substance. Underneath the sandwich were rectangular pieces of something, cooked to a golden brown.

"Um, what is it?" I asked, looking at her hesitantly. She smiled.

"It's a grilled cheese sandwich," she said, pointing at each item, "and fries…try it!" I picked up one of the sandwich halves and hesitantly took a bite. The flavors I experienced were simple and strong. I picked up the taste of the bread, along with a rich flavor I assumed was the cheese. I looked at her, amazed. She laughed.

"Good, huh? Those fries are made of potatoes." she said. I nodded and took a big bite out of it again, and then another, and another, until the slice of sandwich was gone. The woman went in the cooking area while I ate the starchy fries. She brought over a small bowl of warm red liquid.

"Here, dip a little of your sandwich in this," she told me, "it's tomato soup…they go great together!" I followed her instructions and dipped the corner of my remaining piece of sandwich in the soup and took a bite. It was a wonderful combination; the way the savory cheese mixed with the naturalness of the tomato soup was almost too delicious to comprehend. The woman and I struck up a conversation, chatting about life in general.

"Yeah, I came in on the eighth," she told me, "this whole place is strange and confusing at first, but after a month or two, you don't know anything different."

"Are you the owner of this place?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yep…well, me and my family own it. One of my older stepsons works here a couple mornings a week before going to school." She replied.

"You have kids?" I asked.

"Yeah- well, only one _biological_ kid and two stepsons. One is around your age." She told me.

"How old is he?" I asked.

"Oh, he turned sixteen not too long ago." She said.

"What's his name? Maybe I'll see him in school on Monday." I inquired. She smiled.

"His name is Henry. Henry Rost." I felt my heart skip a beat.

"_Henry Rost is your stepson?" _I asked, emphasizing each word in surprise. She smiled again and nodded.

"Yeah, why?"She asked.

"Oh…uh, the name just sounded familiar." I told her, making up a lie. She shrugged, and I knew instantly that she hadn't thought anything of it.

"But what's your name?" she asked me.

"Oh, my name's Adriana…and you?"

"I'm Cheryl," she told me, smiling. I smiled back and stuck my hand out. She shook it and cleared away my dirty dishes.

"Already almost eight," she remarked, glancing at a wood-framed clock on the wall, "that's about when I start getting busy." I suddenly felt like it was time to go, like I shouldn't burden her with my time any longer. I went to get up, leaving my terras on the counter for her as payment.

"I'd better get going," I told her.

"Oh, okay…it was nice meeting you!" she called back. I waved and headed towards the door, dodging between two colonists coming in the front door. _ And here comes the breakfast rush._

I walked in the front door just as my mother was reading the note I'd left.

"You weren't kidding when you said you wouldn't be gone long," she said, smiling.

"I left around 6:30, actually." I told her, laughing.

"You must be excited for something, then, if you're up this early on a Friday," she replied, grinning as she poked around in the kitchen cupboards. My mother had a knack for smelling anything that seemed fishy to her. When she tried figuring out what it was, things often fell into a game of cat and mouse.

"Not really…" I said, playing along. She went about preparing her protein smoothie as the conversation continued.

"Oh really? Nothing _important _planned for today, then?" she glanced up at me. _Game on, mother._

"I dunno. What do you think?" I asked, drawing a perfect poker face.

"I think you're feeding me a load of crap…that's what I think." She told me, trying to hold in a giggle as she used a spoon to stir the green mixture.

"Oh, I am. In fact, you know what I plan to do today?" I replied.

"What's that?"

"I plan on going and exploring the colony today with my friend from yesterday," I told her, ending the game. She fixated her large eyes on me.

"That one that took you out in the jungle?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"The one and only," I replied with a smug smile. She frowned.

"I don't think that's a great idea…" she trailed off.

"Ugh, are you _kidding _me?" I asked. She rolled her eyes.

"No, I am not kidding you."

"If you want, I could have him come over and meet you today." I offered. Her eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'll send him a message on my Plex and have him meet me somewhere nearby so he can come over real quickly." I told her. She nodded. I left her alone and went into my room. Finding my Plex in the place I'd left earlier, I sent a message to Henry, telling him to meet me at the market closest to the gates, which happened to be the one my father worked at, instead of the learning center. There was no point in sitting around waiting for him to reply, so I went about preparing myself for the day.

I found that my hair had completely air dried, leaving it feeling greasy and foul. I showered again briefly and then dried my hair with the hair dryer. I spent a solid half hour straightening my hair until it was lay flat over my chest and back in soft, silky sheets. Satisfied with how lightweight and soft it was, I went and did my makeup. After I had finished "putting my face together", as my mother often called it, I began digging through my dresser for the right outfit.

Ally woke up sometime during my search for the right outfit. I didn't bother her, knowing she wasn't much of a talker in the morning until she'd had something to eat. I finally settled on an outfit that seemed perfect. Undressing, I found the folded drawing Henry had made the day before still in the pocket of my jeans. I carefully unfolded it and taped it to the mirror.

Going back to my clothing, I dressed in a flowy green and white shirt with a cinched waist and a v-neck. I chose to wear a pair of cuffed pants that came to mid-calf, designed to resemble jeans. I slipped on my grey sneakers I'd worn on my first day along with a fresh pair of socks.

Making my way out into the living area, I noticed everyone was up and awake, going about their daily business. I brushed my teeth and then my hair. I ate a piece of bread and then brushed my teeth again. I was surprised to find that it was only 9:15. I checked my Plex and found that Henry had replied with a simple, 'K.' in response. I turned it off and went to find my mother. I found in her room, multiple tops, bottoms, and pairs of shoes spread across her bed.

"Hey," I said, letting myself into the room. She glanced at me before going back to the clothing.

"Hello. What do you want?" had the response came from anyone else, it would've sounded terribly rude, but she was busy getting ready for work and didn't have much time to chitchat. When she busy, it was her way of asking what's up.

"Do you have any money?" I asked. I felt terrible asking her, but I was completely broke.

"Here," she said, handing me a fat handful of coins, "it's equivalent to $100."

"Thanks, mom. I really feel bad for having to ask for the mo-"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Will you help me pick out something to wear today? I feel completely brain-dead with fashion today." I examined the stuff she had lain out.

"You should wear something more casual today, since it's Friday." I told her. She shrugged.

"That eliminates most of this stuff I've laid out," she picked up about two thirds of the things she'd originally had on the bed and sat them on her dresser.

"Something casual, but still work-appropriate…hmm… how about this?" I said, holding up an ombre shirt. It started out pale green and faded to white near the bottom. It was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, but the inside of the bust part of the shirt had rows of gel piping to keep the shirt in place.

"A _strapless_ _shirt?_" she was clearly unenthusiastic about the idea of wearing a strapless shirt to work.

"Yeah! Why not?" I asked.

"Don't think that would be a little inappropriate to wear to work at a clinic?"

"Ohmygod, Mom, just go try it on!" she rolled her eyes at my request.

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease!" I pleaded with her, sounding like the stereotypical whiny teenager for a moment.

"Sometimes, I swear…" She glanced at me, unsure.

"Please, mom!" I jumped up and down briefly to show how much I wanted her to at least _try _the shirt. She sighed loudly.

"Oh, all right!," she said, taking the shirt from me, "Now scat!" I left her room and shut the door behind myself. The door collided with the wall, making a loud bang as the two connected and then slid back on the track a few inches. My mom gently shut the door all the way.

"Jeez, climbing trees gave you some major muscle," my brother said. I turned around and found him sitting at the dining table, eating some bread, the last two orange slices, and his protein smoothie.

"Shut up, Jacob." I retorted. He laughed.

"Good to see the normal Adriana is back," he said through a smile.

"The _normal _Adriana was never gone."

"Oh, really? I'm pretty sure she was. Normal Adriana doesn't go off with random dudes and do dangerous stuff like sneaking around in the jungle. Normal Adriana _certainly _doesn't climb trees. Normal Adriana is happy and friendly all the time."

"What is your goddamn problem?" I shrieked.

"Language!" my mother reprimanded from her room. Jacob snorted.

"Oh yeah…and normal Adriana doesn't swear in front of Mom." He chimed in, only making me more frustrated.

"What? I can't act differently for once?" I snapped back. We sat there, tensely looking each other in the eye, waiting to who'd make the first move.

"Of course you can," Ally said, walking out of our bedroom, dressed in brown shorts and a green & blue plaid shirt. She was snapping the buttons together, her red bra partially showing where buttons hadn't yet been snapped together. She was carrying a pair of fashionable blue sneakers and a rolled up pair of socks under her arm.

"You have every right to act how you want. We are given this new life style, so why not go with it and make a few personality changes?" she questioned, though I knew she didn't expect an answer from him.

"How do you like it?" My mother said, distracting us. I turned around as she opened the door to her room. She had dressed in sandals, the shirt, jeans, a grey-green cardigan, and her doctor's jacket. The jacket stopped a few inches above her hips. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"Nice!" Ally said, "Did you pick it out?" My mother's eyes flitted from me to Ally. I knew she had to briefly contemplate whether to give me credit. She was a very fashionable woman, and very proud of her sense of style.

"All on my own," she proclaimed.

"Good job," I said, going along with it. It partially true, though; I'd merely suggested the shirt.

"Now then," my mother said, gathering up papers and neatly placing them her purse. She picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip, "I'm off to work. I'll be home around four or so…stay out of trouble; all of you." She eyed each of us.

"Wait, mom! Weren't you going to stay and meet Henry?" I asked as she headed for the door. She snapped her finger. I didn't even need to turn around to know Jacob was rolling his eyes.

"Oh, shoot! That's right. I've only got a few minutes, so go find him!" she ordered me.

"I'll be right back!" I told her. I ran out the door and jogged to the market. The sun had come up and was beginning to warm the ground. Steam lazily wafted into the air as the sun evaporated the night's dew. Arriving at the market, I was surprised to find the market busy as ever with early-morning shoppers. I found my dad haggling with a customer over a large watermelon. They finally must've agreed on a price, because they shook hands, and then the woman handed him some coins. She stalked away, carrying the large green fruit in both arms. He watched her smugly, leading me to guess he'd got his way. He was wearing a t-shirt and jeans. I approached him, having not seen him in two days.

"Hey, squirt!" he smiled, giving me a quick hug. I couldn't even remember the last time he called me squirt.

"Hi, dad. I see you're out here pretty early." I replied.

"This place is my life…what did you do yesterday?" he asked.

"I went to orientation, and then I got in big trouble with mom," I told him. He laughed.

"What'd you do to get in trouble?" he asked, rearranging some fruit.

"After orientation, I, uh, went outside the gates with someone I met at orientation." My dad raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"My little rebel! …who'd you go OTG with?" he asked. I was surprised he'd heard of the acronym OTG. Before I could reply, I heard a familiar voice.

"Adriana! Hey!" Henry came striding up. He was wearing a blue v-neck, shorts, and sneakers.

"Him," I said, nodding my head at Henry as he came up to us. I gave him a lightning-quick hug.

"Oh, hey, Alex!" Henry said, shaking hands with my dad.

"How do you know each other?" my dad asked.

"Wait, wait, wait…how do _you _know each other?" I asked. My brained did a back flip.

"We worked together at Boylan's for a while and I took a couple cooking classes with him…how do you know him?" Henry replied.

"He's my dad." I said flatly. Henry's eyebrows flew up his face.

"Really? What a small world!" He replied. It was ironic that he said that, seeing as there were less than 1,000 humans living in our prehistoric world.

"Yeah, but we've got to get going…my mom is waiting." I told him. I grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him towards my house.

"I'll see you later, dad! Sorry about having to rush off!" I yelled as we rounded the corner out of the market. Henry caught up to me as we walked quickly.

"So, uh, do you think your mom will like me?" he asked as we walked. I could detect a slight nervousness in his voice. I laughed dryly.

"You should be more worried about my brother. My guess is he'll either really like you, or he'll _really _hate you. You don't have to worry about Ally…she's so friendly, she'll probably try and hug you, so you know. Of anyone I know here, I know her the best…though, actually…" I trailed off, lost in thought as to who, exactly, who my best friend was: Ally or May. I felt my feet stop as I stood there thinking about it.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing…just, uh…er, nothing…never mind." I told him. He shrugged and we walked on. The clouds covered the sun, but it was still a bright and cheerful day. All around us were our fellow colonists, laughing, talking, and generally enjoying the day. Walking past us was a couple. The man, almost a foot taller than the woman, had his arm wrapped around her. Her pinkish-red dress went well with her light brown skin and green shoes, while he looked cold with his pale skin and red hair. _Wait a second…_

"Shane?" I asked, calling out to her. She stopped and looked at me, searching my face. After a couple seconds, I saw a light bulb switch on in her head. Her face lit up as she realized who I was.

"Adriana!" she said, giving me a quick hug. She was smiling from ear to ear.

"What've you been up to?" I asked. She looked at her male friend.

"Isaac, meet Adriana. She's the one that told me you were coming here." She introduced us. Then, it clicked in my brain who he was…he was the portal guard who'd told me to find Shane. _Her husband. _I hadn't recognized him with red hair, as when I'd seen him in Hope Plaza, the lighting was terrible, and it had appeared he had had dark brown or black hair.

"Thank you for bringing us together again," he told me, holding his hand out. I smiled and shook it.

"I've got to get going, but I'm glad to see things worked out for you two!" I told the happy couple.

"Yeah, we have to get going, too. We were going to go meet some friends for brunch…it was nice seeing you!" she waved to me and they walked on. As we continued on our way to my house, I felt bad about not introducing Henry to Shane and Isaac.

"Who were those people?" he asked when we were out of hearing distance from them. I tried to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, it's a long story." I replied.

"Is it really?" he questioned.

"…no…but now's not the right time. That story will be preserved for another time, ok?" I told him. "For now, let's just take the step of meeting my mom." We stopped in front of my house. Henry looked at it.

"Is this it?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yup. Brand spanking new, and only lived in for three days, in fact." I told him. He laughed at my more-than-obvious sarcasm. I opened the blue shutter door and led him in. Nobody was present as I slid out of my shoes.

"Hello?" I called out.

"Adriana? I'm here…can you come help me?" I heard Ally's familiar voice from the bedroom. I walked to her door, but stopped before opening it.

"Are you decent?" I asked. Knowing her, she was likely changing her outfit. It was normal for her to change her outfit two or three times in one morning before deciding on something acceptable.

"If you consider shorts and an unbuttoned shirt decent," she replied. _In other words, sort of. _I rolled my eyes and opened the door. She was standing with her face a foot from the mirror, trying to smooth the sides of her head into a sleek ponytail. She was, as she'd told me, wearing her shorts and her unbuttoned plaid shirt, revealing an only ever so slightly squishy stomach and the same bra. She held a couple bobby pins between her teeth. When she saw Henry, she squealed and let her hair fall down. She gave Henry a friendly hug, and stuffed the bobby pins in her pocket.

"Hi, I'm Ally…nice to meet you! I've heard great things about you." she said, holding her hand out. He smiled and shook it.

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Henry," he replied.

"Where's my mom?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I think she went in the back yard," she replied, motioning to the back door. I'd completely forgotten about our back yard. I left her in our room and strode across the living area to the door that led out back.

I took a deep breath before opening the door. I knew that my mother's opinion of Henry was most important. It wouldn't stop me from hanging out with him, but I didn't want my mother to hate my friend. I opened it and found myself in a nice yard a little bigger than Erin's. The grass was just as green, and looked nice with the copper colored bench sitting against the fence, nestled between some wide palm leave trees. My mother was examining some pinkish flowers on a bush. When she heard the door open, she turned to me.

"Where's your friend?" she asked, smiling.

"Henry," I said, calling him out into the yard. There was a slight edge to my voice that I hoped only I could notice. He slipped out the door into our yard. He smiled and held his hand out to my mother as a sign of friendliness. Her eyes moved from my face to his, her smiling slowly dropping.

"_Mein gott," _She said under her breath.

My blood ran cold. That was German for 'my god', a phrase she rarely used. She was fluent in German and spoke words of it in her English on occasion, but never that. My heart skipped a beat.

_This can't be good._

**Pease review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I feel like there's nobody reading. If you're reading, could you plese leave a review. I want to know if this is working out well. ****Also, to anyone's comments on ideas for the story: please be patient, and do not expect big changes in the next couple chapters. I'll incorporate some TN characters in eventually. Likely Skye & similar people. Maybe an OTG trip with Skye & her friends, along with Adriana and some of her friends (that's all I've thought of so far). I won't be able to incorporate any of the Shannon family for a while, because they aren't due to be in Terra Nova for another 4.5 months. I am thinking about having Lucille & Elisabeth Shannon become friends, but not quite sure how that would work out. I do plan to skim over some time during their summer and stop at key events (Uncle Max's wedding, Adriana's birthday, etc). Any ideas for interactions between my charcters & TN characters? Write 'em! :)**

Chapter Twelve

Henry glanced at me nervously. From the look on his face, I could tell that all he'd understood was her tone.

"Mom…?" I asked cautiously. She slowly shook her head as her grey eyes searched his face.

"Il est très beau," she finally said, looking at me. My body relaxed as she spoke the kind French words, calling him _very handsome_. She often did this, switching between the two languages she was fluent in. Henry was oblivious. I didn't even need to ask to know that he didn't speak any language other than English.

"What did she say?" he asked, looking at me. I laughed.

"Don't worry, it was nice." I replied, glancing at him.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, it was very nice." My mother said, smiling as she snapped out of her little trance. She stuck her hand out to Henry. He shook her hand cautiously, like it was a trick, and she was going to harm him.

"So, mom," I began, "this is He-" I was cut off by my mother.

"I'm Lucille, but I'd prefer that you call me Mrs. Prevot…for now." She told him, her eyes glittering in the sun. Henry smiled.

"I'm Henry," he introduced himself.

"So, Henry, how old are you?" she asked.

"I just turned 16 a couple months ago," he replied. She looked at him with an exaggerated look of surprise.

"_Really?_" she asked him, slightly in shock.

"Yes, really…what? Did you think I was like, twenty five or something?" I could sense a slight tinge of sarcasm in his voice, making me smirk.

"Honestly, yes, I did. You look much older than you are," she replied sheepishly. I burst out in laughter. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Henry had cracked a smile, too.

"What's so damn funny, huh?" my mom asked, laughing at me.

"That's exactly what I told him when he told me how old he is!" I said when I got over my laughing fit. My mother rolled her eyes good naturedly. I could feel the ice had been broken, and that everyone felt more comfortable around each other. Ally poked her head out the door

"It's 9:30, Lucille," she told my mom.

"Oh, shoot…I've got to get to work!" She snapped her fingers and rushed inside. We followed her inside and watched her run around as she gathered things up. She found her jacket, grabbed her purse and brushed her hair quickly. She found Ally in the bathroom still trying to do her hair and gave her quick hug. She came over to me and gave me a quick hug.

"Jacob, I'm taking off!" she said loudly.

"Bye," my brother's response came from the closed door of his room. She smiled and waved to Henry as she headed to the door. She opened it halfway and looked back at me.

"I am working as a dentist today, but I'll be back around four…be good!" she told me. She waved again quickly as she left, closing the door quickly. After a moment, I looked at Henry.

"Do you want to meet Jacob?" I asked.

"Might as well," he replied. I walked across the room to his door, cracked open a few inches. I opened it a little farther and poked my head in. He was laying on his bed, reading an old-fashioned book, rather than an electronic book on his Plex. When he saw me, he sat up.

"Yeah?" he asked. I hesitated at first in asking him my question.

"Do you…um, want to meet my friend Henry? He's the guy I went with yesterday after orientation…" he rolled his eyes at my request.

"Fine," he replied. I smiled and pulled the door open farther, letting Jacob and Henry see each other. Jacob stood up when he saw Henry, who met him halfway across the room, extending his hand out. Jacob seemed surprised by the offer, but accepted the hand shake after a moment. They shook hands for what felt like a long time, and when they let go of each other's hand, they smiled. _This is good._

"I'm Jacob, Adriana's _older _brother," Jacob introduced himself first. I tried to stifle my laugh when he emphasized 'older'.

"I'm Henry. I've heard you enjoy soccer," he replied. Jacob smiled back.

"Oh really? Who told you that?" he asked rhetorically, his eyes flitting to meet for a brief second.

"A little birdie…you know, there's some games and stuff for anyone to go to on Sunday. It's just going to a relaxed afternoon of fun games. You should come by; we're actually looking for some new players." he told Jacob. I could tell by the look on my brother's face that he was liking Henry more and more.

"Sounds good. I'll see you there, then." He slipped out of his room. We turned around to watch him.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"If there's going to be some games this Sunday, then I better start conditioning…I'm gonna go run." He was looking around for shoes. I shrugged.

"You ready to go?" I asked, looking at Henry as we left my brother's room.

"Yeah, sure."

"Ok…Ally!" I yelled.

"What?" my cousin yelled back from the bathroom. She was standing in front of the mirror, still trying to make her pony tail perfect.

"Do you want to come with us?"

"No, I'm still working on my goddamn hair and then I'm going to go hang out with Ryan." She replied, making me smile.

"Okay. Henry and I are leaving." I told her.

"Bye!" she yelled. I shrugged and followed Henry out the front door. Henry led the way towards the fields. I didn't know where they were, except they were in the middle of the colony.

"So, what is there to do around here other than go to the market and play soccer?" I asked after we had been walking in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the dewy morning sun.

"Depends…" he replied, looking at me, "there's stuff for everyone, almost. You can take language classes…there's sewing clubs, sports groups, cooking classes, book clubs…oh, what else? Fishing, rope tying, archery, swimming, work detail, internships, wood shop...there's also a lot of art classes. But those are just a few of the things that you can do." I was impressed.

"Who runs and organizes all that?" I asked curiously.

"The more dangerous things, like fishing, work detail, and archery, are run and monitored by the colony's security team." He told me. I looked at him funny.

"How is _fishing _dangerous?" I asked, trying not to laugh at my ridiculous question. He smiled.

"The skill itself isn't dangerous- it's getting to the fishing locations. The nearest sources of water that are fishable are outside the colony. When you hike up to the crest of that mountain over there," he stopped and pointed behind us up into the hills, "you can see the entire colony."

"Is it that little brown patch?" I asked, referring to a small brown spot of land that appeared to be well worn down. Whether by nature or human, I had no clue.

"Exactly," he replied, putting his hand down.

"Have you been there?" I asked him.

"Actually, yeah, I have. My dad took my brother and me up there with a few of army dogs about two months ago." He told me. I could sense a tinge of pride in his voice, like it was something almost nobody has seen.

"How long of a hike is it?" I asked.

"It feels like forever, but I think it's somewhere around ten minutes." He told me, continuing to walk. I followed him.

"_Ten minutes?_" I asked, wondering if I'd heard wrong.

"Yeah, ten minutes." He confirmed.

"How is that even possible? It's, like, a bazillion feet up the mountain!" I replied. He laughed.

"It's a five-hundred-foot climb, but there's a dirt road that goes up to it. Taylor usually has people up there watching over the colony." He told me very matter-of-factly. He seemed like he was very proud that he knew all this, like it was top secret information.

"Did your dad tell you this?" I asked, giving him an 'I-know-you're-spewing-a-load-of-BS' look. He smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah…" he replied, laughing in embarrassment, "Though I actually have been there before," he added quickly. I rolled my eyes and laughed. We walked without talking for a while longer, before we approached a fence that looked nearly the same as the one surrounding the colony, except that this one did not have large, menacing spikes along the top or guard towers with large guns. The gate was raised open, letting people and vehicles pass in and out. Henry led me through the entrance and we stood on the edge of the fields.

It was an incredible sight. All I could see was a flat expanse of plant life that seemed to never end. People buzzed around us, carrying large wicker baskets of produce, while others were hunched over in the sea of green, tending to plants. Some were watering plants with large hoses that sprayed a heavy mist, while others drove plows over land off in the distance. Wooden signs poked above the plants, saying things like _carrots _or _cucumber squash _or _potatoes _or _Step carefully! Beetles are protecting these plants! _Each one was handwritten with paint.

"Wow," I managed to say. My brain was trying to process and take in all this incredible information.

"That's what everyone says," he told me. I didn't have to look to know he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Who…who owns all this land?" I asked, bewildered. I looked at Henry for an answer.

"Anyone can, technically. Though you have to be pretty committed to growing produce and stuff, 'cause once you apply to buy land, you are committed to the land for one growing season… basically, a year." He told me.

"Why one year?" I asked.

"Because," he began, "every square inch of land is precious to the colony; especially the agricultural department. Since basically everything we eat comes from these fields, we need as much room to grow the food as possible. Even if someone purchases something as small as a ten foot by ten foot plot of land, they are partially responsible for feeding the colony. If that land just sits there as a pile of dirt waiting to be farmed and isn't put to good use, it makes it hard on the whole colony because it means less food for everyone."

"My dad must be pretty damn committed then, if he bought some land out here." He laughed at my reply.

"If you ask me, these guys are the hardest working, most ambitious people in the colony. Some people have little vegetable gardens at their house that they tend to, but they don't have to be committed to the plants then, since it's on their property, not that of the colony." He told me. I nodded.

"Are these the owners who are out here taking care of the land?" I asked, referring to all the people busily working around us. He shrugged.

"Some of them probably are, but most of them are people who work in agricultural duty. They usually rotate work tasks…so one day, you might be watering crops, and the next day, you might be pruning trees in the orchard…or you could be weeding the fence." He replied.

"_Weeding the fence?" _I asked looking at him. I searched his face for any sign he wasn't telling the truth.

"Yeah, weeding the fence…lemme show you!" he walked away towards the fence surrounding the fields. We walked along the perimeter for five or ten minutes, Henry searching along the fence intently. All I knew of weeds was that they were things like dandelions, little clumps of ugly-looking leaves with hideous yellow flowers. I had my head towards the ground, looking for dandelions.

"Ah, here we go…Adriana, come see these!" Henry beckoned me over. He stood about ten feet from the fence, looking up at it.

"What?" I asked, standing next to him. He motioned to the fence. Thick tendrils of brown plant life climbed up the fence, weaving their way up the fence. At the base of each brown plant was a thick stump half a foot thick. It had a thin layer of light brown bark like a tree. A few feet up the weed, on one of the numerous branches that fanned out from the base, was a sharp cut where someone had evidently began chopping down the plant, leaving the root to end in a flat stump. The root was about two inches thick, but I could see it had rings like a tree.

"Do the rings tell you how old it is?" I asked, looking at Henry, who was examining the weeds up close. He looked at me.

"No, I don't think so." He replied, turning back to the plant.

"The botanists who catalogue all the plant life say it's some kind of weed, even though it looks like a tree." A lithe woman wearing an airy romper and a wide-brimmed hat said, approaching us. In one hand, she carried a mean-looking machete, and in the other, a large water bottle filled full of crystal-clear water with a long string a half inch thick wound through a hook on the side of the bottle. Her golden brown hair was braided into a long fishtail braid that went to the middle of her back. She wore flexible cleat-like shoes. Even under the shady brim of her hat, I could see she had skin tanned by the sun and sky-blue eyes.

"Um, hello." Henry greeted her. She smiled in response.

"Hello to you, too. I was just getting back from refilling my water bottle to get back to work on this one here." She said, referring to the weed.

"How do you get rid of it?" I asked.

"Like this," she said, climbing up the fence like a monkey to the very top beams. She slipped the string of her water bottle around the highest horizontal beam and looped the bottle through the string, so that the bottle hung far above our heads. She climbed down a few beams and began chopping away at the roots.

"It's quite the workout!" she yelled down to us.

"Interesting," I replied, trying to sound like I cared.

"Do you want to go into the fields?" Henry asked, looking at me again.

"Like, walk out there? Henry, are you crazy? It must be a mi-" I began.

"It's three miles in diameter. But you can ride old-fashioned pedal bikes on the dirt roads that crisscross the fields. They're wide enough that usually people have no problem with staying out the way of agricultural people that are working." He interrupted.

"Oh," I breathed in reply.

"Come on, let's go pick up a couple from my house!" he said, walking on past the weeds.

"We're gonna head out, but thanks for showing us how it's done!" I yelled up to the woman as I followed after Henry.

"No problem! Nice talking!" she yelled back with a wave. Catching up to Henry, I bombarded him with questions while we walked towards his house.

"Does everyone have to work in agriculture?" I questioned.

"No," he replied.

"Where else can you work?"

"Science labs, infirmary, market, cafés, supply stores, security…uh…there's a lot."

"Can anyone work there?"

"Where, Adriana?"

"I dunno, anywhere, I guess."

"You have to be 18 for security, and most places prefer that you're 18, but sometimes you can snag a real job younger. Most teenagers who want some kind of work experience usually do internships, though."

"Do you know anyone that does an internship?" I asked, curious.

"Yeah, tons of people in our grade. There's people willing to take interns for just about everything."

"Can you intern in the infirmary?" I asked. He looked at me funny.

"Isn't your mom a doctor?" he asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Couldn't you just ask her if they take interns?" he asked.

"Oh, shut up. Just tell me if they do!" I said, swatting his arm playfully. He smiled.

"They do, don't worry… I was just messing with you."

"I figured as much. Do you know anyone doing a medical internship?" I asked. He nodded.

"They're the most difficult to get into…the medical internship program, that is, but there are two interns right now, I believe, that are in highschool."

"Do you know either of them?" He nodded again in response.

"One of them is a really good friend of mine. She's out on the medical convoy that's due back tomorrow." I could see thoughts flicking through his expressive brown eyes as he spoke.

"What's she look like?" I asked, curious. His eyes lit up. It might've been from the golden sunlight streaming into his eyes, but I wasn't sure.

"She…she's got a _really _nice body…great butt for a skinny, size four girl. Crazy blue eyes, long orange hair…and the best laugh you'll ever hear. She's the captain of the soccer team, too." He told me as we walked through an open gate like the one we'd entered the fields through. It was smaller than the other one, but still plenty large enough for vehicles to pass through.

"Do you like her?" I asked. I immediately regretted asking the question. _Why the hell would you ask that, you idiot? _He searched my eyes, like he was looking for a trick or something.

"Yeah, I do… a lot, actually." He said, coming to a halt in the middle of the gravel road. I felt like that had just ruined my whole day. I knew I wouldn't be able to get his answer out of my head.

"What's her name?" I asked tentatively.

"Her name's-" as he began, his reply was cut off by a loud yell.

"Henry!" A lithe boy a few years younger than either of us came running up. He had the same skin and eyes as Henry, but he had auburn colored hair. His face was red and shiny with sweat, and he was breathing heavily.

"What is it, Nick?" he said, approaching the boy. The boy was doubled over, holding his stomach and he took in ragged breaths.

"I've…_wheeze_…been looking for…_wheeze_…you. Mrs. Niecey…_wheeze_…went into…_wheeze _…labor. They think the baby's going to be born…_wheeze_...any minute." He managed to say. Henry glanced from me to the boy.

"Come on, let's go." He said, looking at me. I nodded.

"Follow…me!" the boy coughed, standing up straight. He took off running in the direction he'd just came from, not waiting for us. I took off after him, Henry close behind.

We ran for what felt like forever, even though it was probably only a minute or two. We stopped in front of another house like my own (hell, they all looked the same), and approached the door. Just as the boy turned the knob and opened the door, a woman somewhere inside the house let out a long wail of pain.

**Please review, and leave your comments & suggestions! **


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter gets a little intense. **

Chapter Thirteen

Inside, two women sat on the couch. One had olive skin and wavy black hair, her green eyes clouded with thought. The other woman, who was much older, maybe sixty-five or seventy, looked very similar to the younger woman, except her hair was nearly all grey and was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Unlike most people her age, her hair was thick and healthy looking. As we followed the boy, a tall man with red hair and freckles slipped out of one of the bedrooms. The two women stood up expectantly.

"It's a girl," he said, smiling from ear to ear. They rushed to him and hugged him. The boy approached him and shook his hand. Henry followed suit, and then clapped him on the back.

"Congratulations, Mr. Niecey," he told the man.

"Thank you. You know how important this is to us." He replied, glancing at me. Henry followed his eyes.

"Oh, excuse me…this is my friend, Adriana." He introduced me. I approached Mr. Niecey, extending my hand to him.

"I'm Adriana," I said, repeating what Henry had already said.

"Harold Niecey," he replied with a smile as he shook my hand. When he let go of my hand, he turned to the women.

"Come see her," he told them. Looking back to us, he motioned us to follow. The three of us followed him and the women into a spacious master bedroom, where a woman was lying in bed, her olive-colored skin red with exhaustion. Her healthy brown hair was damp with sweat and her blue-green eyes were sparkling. The bed underneath her had been covered with a large plastic sheet, protecting the blankets and mattress underneath from birthing fluids. She was wearing a papery blue hospital gown and had a towel across her chest and abdomen, slightly discolored from blood. Off to the side of the bed, a woman in aqua scrubs was cleaning off the baby on a changing table. The man and women went to the mother's side, hugging her and kissing her and talking to her. Us teenagers hung back respectfully. When the woman finally caught a glance of us, she smiled. Her family went to coo over the baby.

"Ah, Henry and Nick. Thank you for being here…come." She welcomed them. They went to her side and gave her hugs. I could see from the way she strained to fully hug them from her sitting position that they held a place in her heart. She was smiling from ear to ear. When they had each released her, she glanced at me. With a good natured smirk on her face, she used one finger to motion me to come to her side. I hesitantly came to her side and sat on a stool next to the bed. She turned her head to me, smiling kindly.

"I've never seen you before." She told me. I smiled softly.

"I'm new," I replied.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Adriana," I told her.

"Well, hello Adriana. My name is Emily… how do you like Terra Nova?" she asked. I nodded.

"It looks a lot prettier than 2149." I told her. She nodded.

"What's it like in 2149?" she asked.

"The sky is completely brown…the only plant in Chicago is mold." I told her. Her eyebrows rose up her forehead as the information sunk in.

"It's that bad?" she asked after a while.

"It's funny; when it was the only thing that I'd ever known, it never seemed that bad. Being here now makes me see just how dire things are in 2149." I replied. She nodded slowly.

"My doctor just arrived on the last pilgrimage, too… Dr. Prevot's her name." she told me.

"What about me?" Said an all-too-familiar voice. My mother came through the door, drying her hands on a small towel. She had aqua scrubs on over her clothing and cloth booties over her feet. She stopped when she saw me.

"Hi, mom." I said with a smile. Emily looked from me to my mother a few times.

"She's your mother?" Emily asked in disbelief. I nodded, smiling. I strode over to my mother and slung my arm around her shoulders.

"She's momma Prevot to me," I said jokingly. She shrugged out of my hold, trying to maintain her professionalism in front of her patient.

"Get off me, you weirdo." She told me, barely containing her smile. Even Emily could see her cracking.

"I can see the resemblance," Emily began, "you two look a lot alike, even though you're much shorter, Dr. Prevot." My mother smiled.

"I've always been the shortest one in the room. Though, Adriana was shorter than me for the longest time." She told Emily.

"You used to be _shorter _than your mother?" she asked me, astonished. I shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, I mean…a _couple _inches, I guess…" I sputtered. My mother let out a _huh! _of amusement.

"Puh-_leeze_. You grew seven inches in one summer, you liar." She said, making Emily laugh.

"Ah, I remember my teenage years. Some of the best years of my life." Emily replied. Before either of us could reply, the nurse carefully brought over a little pink bundle.

"Here she is, Emily." The nurse said, carefully handing the little baby into Emily's arms. The room fell quiet as we watched her with her child. Harold came to the other side of the bed and sat next to his wife and daughter, smiling. After a while, he looked at her.

"You know, we haven't chose a name yet." He told her. She looked at him.

"You're right," she replied, "what should we name her?" he shrugged.

"You should pick," he told her. She slowly looked at me, and then at her husband.

"I like the name _Adriana_," she told her husband. I let in a sharp breath of surprise. Harold glanced from me, to his daughter, and then to his wife. His eyes met hers.

"I think it's perfect."

"You do?" Emily's voice sounded somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I do," he told her.

"What about a middle name?" she asked. He glanced at the woman with the wavy black hair, who I'd assumed was Emily's sister.

"I like Marie," he told his wife. Emily's sister burst into tears of sheer happiness. _Her name must be Marie._

"I think it sounds perfect…_Adriana Marie Niecey_." She told him, each word spoken like a breath of air. I went to Emily and bent down next to her and baby Adriana. Emily looked at me and smiled.

"She's beautiful," I told her.

"Just like her namesake," Emily replied, making me blush. She laughed a little at my reaction.

"I feel honored that you chose my name for your daughter," I said. Everyone fell silent for a while, crowding around the slumbering baby to get a glimpse at her.

"Not to break up this little love fest," my mom said, breaking the silence, "but if you guys could leave, I need to patch up a few things with Emily." We nodded, leaving the family and my mother alone. Before closing the door to the bedroom, I glanced back quickly. Emily waved to me with a soft smile.

"It was lovely to meet you, Adriana. Stop by sometime!" she told me. I smiled and nodded, waving back as I gently slid the door shut.

Joining Henry outside, I looked up at the sky. It was bright blue, with wisps of bright white clouds meandering about lazily in the sky.

"Is this what the weather's always like?" I asked, studying the shapes in the clouds.

"It kind of depends on the time of year, I guess…right now, since it's spring, the weather is warm and a little humid. It might rain tomorrow, though." He told me.

"Has it snowed here?" I asked. I was curious to know if I would ever see snow in my lifetime.

"Not here specifically in the colony, at this elevation, but probably much higher up in the mountains." _Damn._

"So…what should we do now?" I asked after a while, looking at Henry.

"Well, I'm not really up for a long, dusty bike ride any more…are you?"

"…I honestly never really was excited to begin with…" I admitted. He laughed silently.

"That's fine by me…do you want to stop by my house, anyways?" he asked.

"Sure. It would be nice to know where you live for future reference." I told him.

"Okay, follow me, then." He said, leading me off the Niecey's front porch.

"Where is your house?" I asked. He pointed directly across the road to a house with an abundance of brightly colored flowers growing in a planter box in front of the porch.

"That's _your _house?" I asked. He smiled.

"My stepmom likes to garden," he said, leading me to the front door.

"What's your address?"

"203 Apple Street," he told me. I looked at him in surprise. _Did I hear right?_

"203 _Apple _Street?" I confirmed. He laughed.

"Yes, apple. All the streets are named after produce." He told me.

"You're kidding me!" I replied. He smiled and shook his head.

"Nope, I'm serious…look!" he said, pointing to the intersection of the road. A tall post had a placard reading _South Apple Street_ attached to it.

"Huh, you weren't kidding." I said in pseudo-defeat. He searched his pockets for something. Finding a key, he unlocked the door and opened it.

"Come on in," he invited. I followed him inside.

The blue shutters were drawn closed, along with all the doors. The only source of light came from a light in the kitchen area, and sunlight streaming through a few frosted windows. The layout was different then my own home; instead of two bedrooms near the front door and one across the living area, with the bathroom in between, all the bedrooms were lined up next to each other, and the bathroom was near the entrance to the home. Their furniture was different, too. The two couches that sat facing each other were army green, and the plump chair sitting between them on one end was light brown. Four or five pairs of shoes sat neatly in a shoe rack near the entranceway, along with an coat hanger that had two jackets hanging on it. Small vases of pretty flowers were everywhere; on the dining table, the coffee table, kitchen counter, and on an old-fashioned bookshelf filled with vintage books. A thick, sweet scent of oranges filled the air, making me cough a little. _Where have I smelt that before?_

"Yeah, my stepmom likes the smell of oranges. She sprays the place up with it." He told me, addressing the coughing. _That's where I recognize it!_

"Does she own a little café?" I inquired. He looked at me funny.

"How'd you know that?" he asked in response, poking around in the kitchen for something to eat.

"I went there to get a bite to eat, and somehow we started talking about you," I told him. He glanced up at me.

"…you guys started talking about _me_?" he asked. I could tell he was concerned; two women getting together to gossip was never a good thing.

"Yeah, she-" I began, but was cut off as something soft landed on my head. Tentatively stretching my hand up, I felt cloth. Pulling the thing off my head, I held it in front of me, my arm outstretched. At my fingertips I held a grey tube sock, slightly brown on the bottom of the foot. I could only hope the brown was from being worn with shoes.

Then the smell hit me. It was a vile, foul stench that I could taste in my mouth: sweat, filth, dirt, and a little _je ne sais quoi_, or _I don't know what_. Glancing over the top of my hand, I saw that Henry was horrified. I glanced from him to the sock a few times, speechless. After a moment of absolute dead silence, Henry rushed to me and snatched the sock out of my hand. He ran to one of the bedrooms, and threw the sock on a bed, cursing.

"Asshole…fricken idiot…" was all I managed to catch of his words.

When he came back, he rested his elbows on the kitchen counter and held his head in his hands, his face being stretched as his hands pulled the skin on his face slightly askew. His face was funny looking, making me giggle. He smiled and lifted his head up, coming towards me. He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in a tight hug, my head pressed against his chest. I could smell his scent over the orangey smell of the home; a rich, seductive mixture of chocolate and cologne. I wanted so badly to stay there forever and smell that wonderful scent. He could hardly suppress his laughter.

"Oh, poor Adriana…that was my older brother's sock…and even worse, it was a sock he wears with his military uniform, in those stinky soldier's boots of his." He said, letting out his laughter. I "wiped" my hand on the back of his shirt.

"There, now the sock germs are on your shirt," I told him with a smile. He laughed again, and I took in another whiff of that wonderful smell of his.

"Thanks," he said jokingly. Before I could reply, the door slammed open carelessly, bouncing off the wall.

"Well then…" a man said, his voice more mature than Henry's. This wasn't to say Henry's voice was high, but that the man who'd spoke was older than Henry, that his voice had already finished going through puberty.

My first thought was that it was Henry's father. I was never much into public displays of affection between people outside of the family. This didn't count hugging friends, and okay, I'll admit it: Henry was a friend, but I just didn't feel comfortable with people seeing us like that. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever, likely. The instant I heard the voice, I jumped away from Henry, embarrassed.

"What are you doing, Tyler?" Henry asked, looking at the guy. I glanced up at the man, relieved to know now that it wasn't his dad. This person, Tyler, was wearing military garb; green fatigues, brown combat boots, and a green-grey t-shirt. Under one arm, he carried a camouflage-patterned hat and a brown jacket.

"I only had to work an early morning shift…what are _you _doing, Henry?" he replied. I felt my face burn as Tyler looked me up and down.

"I was showing my friend Adriana our house." Henry said, his voice icy. Tyler scoffed.

"Yeah, _showing her the house_. Like I haven't heard that before from you." he said. Henry turned to me.

"I'm sorry, Adriana, that you have to deal with this. But this is my jackass of a brother, Tyler." He told me. I shrugged.

"I've heard worse," I said, not sure if that was the right thing to say. This must've amused Tyler, as he let out a short, loud laugh.

"Funny, so have I." he told me, glancing at Henry.

"Stop talking, Tyler."

"I'm serious, though," Tyler began, ignoring his brother as he spoke to me, "I came home one time to the loudest banging and yelling from this girl he-"

"Tyler!" Henry snapped, his voice an morphing into an irritated growl.

"Alright, alright, get off my back already…I was just stopping by to grab my comm; I'll be on way in just a second." He strode into the bedroom Henry had thrown the sock in, grabbed something, and slipped it into his pocket as he head towards the door. He hung his jacket and hat on the coat hanger and slipped out the door. Just when the door clicked shut, he opened it again and stuck his head in.

"Oh, and Henry; you know where the condoms are, so please make use of them so we don't have a repeat of last time." He said to Henry, making my blood run cold. He shut the door again, his footsteps crunching on the gravel outside as he walked away. Henry turned to me, his face tomato-red.

"I'm really sorry about that, Tyler-" he began.

"What was he talking about_… so we don't have a repeat of last time_?" I cut in. His eyes flitted around nervously.

"Oh, uh, he was just being stupid." He told me. I wanted to question him further, but I could tell he was uncomfortable, so I let it drop. I changed the subject.

"So, uh, why did that sock land on me?" I asked, laughing. Henry relaxed a little.

"Sometimes, when we get home, we kick our shoes and socks off and try to make them go into the ceiling floaters." He told me, pointing to the billowy clouds of white fabric that hung from the ceiling like in my own home.

"Those are called _ceiling floaters_?" I asked, a little surprised at the name.

"I know, goofy. They're supposed to help with air flow…or something."

"Or something," I breathed. He smiled.

"Or something…do you want to head out to the orchard?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied. He nodded and led me out of the house onto the front porch. All around us, we were engulfed in a thick heat.

"Oh, jesus, does it get this hot all the time?" I asked, looking at Henry. He wiped a little sweat off his forehead that had already began to accumulate and then shrugged in reply.

"Oh well. Let's get going, then." He said, stepping off his porch into the sun. I followed him as he led the way to the orchards.

It was going to be a hot day.

We walked all the way round the fields to get to the orchards. It would've been quicker to walk through the fields, but in the 96° heat, it would've been like walking across a frying pan. At least when walking through the streets of the colony, trees provided the occasional shade. Along the way, Henry explained to me the street system in Terra Nova. Streets running north to south were the streets named after food. The ones that ran east to west were numbers. The way addresses and streets were organized had never made sense to me, so for the majority of the time, I just nodded my head and pretended to understand. We had made it about two thirds of the way around the colony when I changed the subject, tired of nodding.

"So, what's a _comm_?" I asked, looking at him. He smiled, amused at my question.

"You don't know what a comm is?" he asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. I stopped walking, turned to him, and gave him a _give-me-a-break-this-is-my-third-effing-day-here_ look. He rose his hands in pseudo-apprehension.

"Sorry. I keep forgetting you're new." He told me, lowering his hands.

"How the hell do you forget that I'm new? I met you yesterday." I asked. He shrugged.

"I dunno…you just kind of fit in here, I guess…you just look like the stereotypical person who would live here." He replied. The comment seemed harmless, but there was something in the tone of his voice that irked me.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do _you _think?" he replied. I could feel myself getting more and more annoyed with every word.

"You want to know what I think?" I began, "I think that you're trying to say that I look like everyone else; a bunch of health-obsessed freaks that eat bugs and vegetables." Every word I spoke was now anger acting.

"You're kidding me, right?"

"No, I'm not…Henry, _look _at me. Do I look like a health-obsessed person? No, actually, do I look healthy? Do I look like a _healthy _person? Huh?" All he could do was looked around uncomfortably, not sure how to answer.

"Answer me, dammit!" I demanded. He met my eyes.

"Well, I guess, you…" he mumbled quietly. His eyes were melted into what I perceived to be shame.

"I'll finish what you were already thinking, okay? You were thinking that I'm a fat, unhealthy cow, weren't you? You look around and see people with perfect physiques like Ally and every other fricken girl I've seen, and then you see me, and you're disappointed to be hanging out with me when you could be hanging out with a girl who's a size zero and has big boobs…that's what you're thinking. You were mocking me." My heart was beating faster out of anticipation for his answer.

"Young love these days!" an elderly woman who had been sitting on her front porch, evidently listening to our conversation, said. She hobbled over to us.

"If you two want this relationship of yours to work, then you need to tell each other the truth, no matter what. When I was your age back '73, if you argued with your significant other, it was a sign that you'd have a good marriage and many healthy children!" she told us, shaking her bony finger in our faces. Nothing of what she said made any sense whatsoever.

"_What?_" Henry asked, apparently just as confused as I was. She shook her head at his question.

"You heard me, boy!" she said, hobbling into her house. We stood there in silence, trying to make sense of what she was saying. The thick heat around us made talking seem almost impossible now.

"You want the truth?" Henry eventually asked, looking me in the eyes. I nodded.

"I want to know the truth," I said, almost echoing his words. He ran his fingers through his hair and let out an exasperated breath, his eyes searching the sky for something.

"You want to know the truth? Well, then here it is: I think you're beautiful. I think you're pretty, I think you're gorgeous, and I think you're incredibly attractive, okay? This might seem impossible, but I think that…that you're _perfect_. I've never met someone like you. Never." The words hit my like a brick wall.

"Wait…_what_?" I was positive I hadn't heard him right. He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes again.

"Don't you understand me, Adriana? I think you're _perfect_. Flawless…don't realize how attractive you are?"

"You're kidding me," I squeaked.

"No, I'm not kidding you." he replied.

"Why?" I asked.

"_Why? _You want to know _why?_ For starters, you're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met. You get my sense of humor. You act like yourself. You are mature…but those are just the internal things. Have you _seen _yourself in the mirror ever? Ever thought about the external things?"

"No," I whispered.

"You need to, then. You'd see this girl who has kind, funny eyes. You'd see this blonde girl who doesn't have brown grow-out. You see a girl with a _real _body, not some unrealistically tiny girl with a chest smaller than her head. She has a real body that is curvy and beautiful and natural and _healthy_." He finished his last words with a kick at the gravel, sending a shower of pebbles into the air.

"I…I didn't know that's how you thought." I said quietly, now regretting my angry words from earlier.

"It pisses me off, you know." He said, glancing at me for a second.

"What?"

"How girls perceive themselves. They all see themselves as fat cows and hate their bodies." The words stung as he used my calling myself a fat cow as an example.

"I…I'm sorry?" I replied, not sure if that was the right thing to say to him. He looked at me and then began pacing around anxiously.

"Dammit! What is there for _you_ to be sorry about, Adriana? If anyone should be sorry, it should be _me_ for not putting you in front of a mirror sooner." He told me, bending down to pluck a small pink flower off a bush. He wouldn't look at me as he picked apart the flower.

"What now, then?" I asked after a while. I could sense the involuntary pain in my voice as I spoke. He threw the flower to the ground.

"I'll let you make that choice," He told me, coming close to me, our faces mere inches apart. His eyes were smoldering pots of melted chocolate. In a swift motion that caught me off guard, he grabbed hold of my face in his hands, and, his sweet breath in my face for a split second, touched his lips to mine softly.

**Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**How do you think this is going? I just finished chapter 15 today, so I'll post it in a few days once I've read through and check for grammar/typo errors. **

Chapter Fourteen

Three seconds. That's how long the kiss between myself and Henry lasted. Three measly seconds. It was short enough to be polite, but long enough to leave an impression. Long enough to make me question everything I'd ever known about guys and relationships. Long enough for me to realize it was my first kiss.

I opened my eyes when he moved his lips away from mine, looking into his eyes. He looked back at me, appearing to be equally confused as to what happened. Our faces were inches apart as he held my face. And then, in an instant, he took his hands off my face and backed a few feet away, looking down at the ground.

"I…I'm sorry," he told me, touching the back of his neck awkwardly in embarrassment.

"It's…okay," I said, still in surprise.

"That wasn't right of me…that was completely out of line. It wasn't-"

"It's okay, Henry." I cut in. He looked up at me.

"Really? You're okay with that?" he asked. I nodded in response.

"Yeah, it's fine. Sometimes you just can control yourself and you act before your brain can tell you to stop." I told him.

"Yeah…I guess you're right…but I still am sorry." We stood there silently for a while, awkwardly waiting for the other person to pick up the conversation.

"So…" I began after a while, "look at that Sun of ours…sure is bright." Henry laughed, breaking the tension.

"Really, Adriana? You're talking about the _weather_?" he asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I couldn't help but smile. His humor was the type I gravitated towards; similar to my own in its often sarcastic nature.

"Yup…come on, now; we should get going so we can get to the orchard before the day's over!" I told him.

"You're right," he said, walking away. I caught up to him, and we walked on, talking and chatting like nothing happened. My mind wanted me to linger on that kiss and take it apart and understand it, but I refused to. Today was a day to be happy and enjoy, not a day to stew on unsavory topics.

Approaching the orchard, I took in the area. The orchard was a large section that was placed smoothly behind a row of houses. The trees went further than I could see, curving along the fence line. I could sense there was a vastness to the orchard; the trees seemed to go on forever, a never-ending sea of green foliage. Brown dirt walkways crisscrossed neatly between the trees, each path three to five feet wide. Each tree sat in a square patch of scraggly green grass. The occasional stray root poked through the pathway, causing wheelbarrows full of dirt or wagons full of apples to jump up a little as the person brought them over the roots. Most of the trees were six to eight feet tall, placing blots of shade in the otherwise continuous sun-covered ground. Tall patches of grass and plants poked up, occasionally breaking up the never-ending myriad of trees. It was peculiar to imagine such a thing; rows upon rows upon rows of trees that look nearly the same, stretching as far as one could see. It struck me that most people in Terra Nova had likely never seen such a thing before coming to this new world. Henry's laugh broke me out of my pondering.

"It's a lot to take in, huh?" he commented. I nodded unconsciously.

"How are these trees so big? …I know that they're not _that _big for trees, but doesn't it take ten to fifteen years before a tree begins to produce fruit?" I asked, observing a few very busy gardeners tending meticulously to various trees.

"These trees had been growing for seven or eight years before they came through the portal," Henry told me.

"They brought trees through the _portal_?" I asked, not sure that was possible. He laughed again.

"Adriana, they were less than half the size they are now," he told me.

"But what about the roots and stuff? Wouldn't there be lots of roots?" I asked, glancing at him. He looked at me.

"When you plant a tree in a small enough pot, the roots will only grow so big. Once they were planted, the roots will spread out and grow more." He explained.

"That makes sense, sort of," I murmured. It was hard to understand how plants worked, seeing as I had only seen trees a handful of times in my life in person.

"Here, do you want to see how they control mold and pests?" he asked. I nodded, and he led me into the maze of trees. I followed him to a mound of earth that had been patted around the base of a tall block of wood my height. It was about 4 ½ inches wide, and seven inches long. Atop the wood was a platform about a foot wide, and atop that platform was a wooden box approximately a foot & a half tall and eight or nine inches wide. It had a sloped roof, making it roughly resemble a little house. It had mesh screens in 2-inch squares letting air pass through, hinting that there was something alive inside. There was a small door latched shut on one side with a little peg in the middle. The whole thing- post, platform, and house- was painted light blue, or at least appeared to be light blue. With the all the sunlight, it wouldn't have surprised me if its original color had been a more vibrant blue, dulled down from exposure. I looked at Henry, unsure of what it was, exactly.

"Tell me what I'm looking at,"

"It's eco-friendly pesticide," said a new voice. Climbing off a small stepladder from a nearby tree, a woman approached us. Her chocolate-colored hair barely brushed her shoulders, her bangs braided off to the side of her head and out of her face. She was wearing brown shorts that came to mid-thigh, along with a pinkish-red tank top that was very low on the sides, allowing the side of her torso and blue bra to be clearly seen. Around her neck, she had a necklace of twine with a creamy shell as the only thing strung on the necklace. She was barefoot, and creased cheeks told me she smiled a lot.

"Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing your conversation." She explained.

"Uh…" I said, lost for words.

"Oh, sorry! I'm Maggie." She said, introducing herself.

"Okay…but what is _it_?" I asked. She nodded to the pedestal.

"Open it up and find out," she told me.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, go ahead. I was going to release them today, anyways." She told me.

"_Them_?" I asked hesitantly. She smiled and laughed.

"Just open it already, you goof!" she replied. Shrugging, I approached the pedestal. Grasping the little blue knob, I carefully pulled at it until it popped open. Carefully, I pulled the door open all the way, letting sun shine into it. Almost immediately, beetles began to crawl out of the square house. Each one was about two inches long and an inch wide. They had six legs, along with a set of antennae and two shiny black eyes. The wings and back were vertical stripes of gold, red, green, and orange, while the head was a vibrant green color. As more and more poured out of the house, they began to take to the sky, flying off in every direction.

"They won't hurt you; just keep holding the door open," Maggie instructed me. I was holding the door open with just the tips of my fingers, but these bugs were simply incredible. My eyes told me to get away from these foreign creatures, but my brain told me they were safe. I watched each one clamber out and take flight to the sky. One made its way out of the house and crawled over my fingers, making me squeal. Henry laughed. The beetle began to crawl over my fingers, past my wrist, and up over my elbow before taking flight into the air. A few more trickled out of the house, and then they were all gone.

"What do they do?" I asked, stepping away from the pedestal. Maggie approached the pedestal and gingerly picked up a beetle that was making its way out of the house. She let it walk across her hands.

"They eat the mold that harms the fruit," she told us.

"Are they dangerous to people?" I asked. She looked at me and grinned.

"Of course not, silly! If they were, why would we use them?" she asked rhetorically. I smiled, a light blush of embarrassment blooming on my face.

"What are they called?" Henry asked, taking the bug from Maggie.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Most of us regulars in the orchard call 'em buggers or chompers, but I don't know the technical term." She told us. Henry shrugged.

"I'm sure someone knows," he replied.

"Yeah, but, um…I've got to get back to work. It's was lovely meeting you two, though." Maggie said. She waved and went back to her stepladder, climbing it so her head was eaten by the foliage of a tree. We turned on our heels and headed out of the orchard. Along the way, Henry carefully placed the beetle on the branch of a tree. We stopped briefly to watch it scuttle up to a patch of white mold, which it promptly began to devour. We left the workers in the orchard to be, heading towards a market Henry claimed was the biggest in the colony.

Henry had been right; the market was the largest in the colony. A sign greeting us even proclaimed so. _Welcome to the largest market in Terra Nova!_ The market was insane; people buzzed around us, shopping, talking, laughing, and haggling. I was most surprised that this many people were out about, even in the stifling heat. An old-fashioned mercury thermometer hung from one vendor's stall, proclaiming that it was 98° Fahrenheit. I stopped to admire the antiquity of the thermometer for only a moment, and almost ran into a woman carrying a handsome wooden chair as I moved away from the thermometer. She shoved past me, knocking me to the ground. Cursing under my breath, I began to climb to my feet, but stopped as an amused laugh came from a stall across the walkway. A girl about my age was standing behind a thin curtain of beads, her face only visible from the nose up, the rest hidden behind an old, worn red book with the title _The Lord of the Flies _printed in yellow vinyl letters. The book was small; her fingers reaching more than halfway up the cover.

"You think you're funny, huh? Making fun of the girl who just got knocked on her ass." I said, trying to keep a straight face. She laughed and placed the book in her bag, a small brown cross-body bag. She pushed her way through the bead curtain and came over, stretching out a hand. I gratefully took it and pulled myself to my feet. I brushed some dirt off my pants, but then looked at the girl.

She was taller than me- likely 5'9"- and very slim. Her skin was tanner than mine, and her thin blonde hair barely grazed past her shoulders. Her eyes were a blue-hazel color, and she had long, dark eyelashes that had been coated with mascara. A brown freckle sat on her right cheek. She was wearing an airy, light blue button-up shirt that was tucked into a pair of jean shorts that must've had an inseam of barely two inches, along with brown flip-flops. Underneath the nearly transparent shirt, she was wearing a string bikini.

"Thanks," I said to her, smiling. She smiled back.

"No problem…you must be new, or else you'd have had the sense to watch out when you turned away from that thermometer." She told me.

"You're right, actually. I am new." I replied, surprised that she'd been able to guess so accurately. She smiled at my reply.

"Sorry if that seems weird that I watching you, but your friend caught my eye," she told me.

"Oh, that guy? That's my friend, Henry." I replied.

"Yeah, he's pretty easy on the eyes, huh?" she asked. I shrugged. I had never been much of one to tell people about these kinds of things, so it felt strange talking to stranger about this, of all people.

"Yeah, but he's…" I turned around to Henry, but was surprised to not find him anywhere near me, "not here." I finished flatly. She laughed and pointed with her thumb down the way. I followed her point and found Henry picking through wooden pots and pans.

"You don't need him with you at your side every second, do you?" she asked. It was a strange question to hear, and not just from her. It was just strange.

"What are you insinuating?" I asked suspiciously.

"Nothing…when I saw you two walking into the market…you were, like, right next to him, like he was protecting you… or something." She replied. I immediately felt bad about my previous comment; I could see plainly that she was merely being honest. She was just as naïve and teenager-ish as myself, and was making an observation, nothing more.

"Oh," I whispered softly, slightly embarrassed. She smiled.

"But, uh, yeah," she replied. I changed the subject.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"I'm Jenna," she told me, stretching out her hand. I shook it with a flash of a smile.

"I'm Adriana," I introduced myself, shaking her hand.

"Is this your first time to any of the markets?" she asked, meandering over to a table of fruit. She began to pick through the items, examining each one as we talked. I examined strings of dried peppers that hung from pegs on the post to the canopy of the stall.

"The only other one I've been to is the one near the gate," I told her. She glanced up at me.

"Lots of people go to that one, especially the newbies, because it's the first one they see."

"My dad has a stall there," I told her.

"What's he sell?" she asked.

"Oh, fruit and stuff. He owns trees in the orchard and some land in the fields." I replied.

"Cool. I wish that either of my moms were that dedicated to something like that." She told me. _What?_

"Mom_s_?" I clarified. She stopped looking at the fruit, straightening her posture as she looked at me. There was a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Yeah, mom_s_…I have lesbian parents." She told me. It occurred to me that I had never met someone who had lesbian parents.

"Oh," I said softly.

"…do you have something against _gay _people?" she asked. Now was her turn to be suspicious. I shook my head.

"Of course not. I am an ally to the GLBT community," I told her. Her shoulders dropped a few inches in relief as I said that golden word, 'ally'.

"That's good. Because I really like you, and I want to be your friend…but I don't want to be your friend if you don't like gay people." She told me, surprising me with her bluntness. I laughed anyways.

"No, I think gay people are wonderful." I told her. She smiled.

"That's good to know. I've met so many people during my lifetime that think being gay is a bad thing. That bothers me a lot, actually, because it's not. You don't really get to choose that kind of thing, you know? You're just born the way you are."

There was a certain fire in her eyes as she spoke about the topic. It was refreshing to see someone with a clear opinion after an entire lifetime of the same spineless, wishy-washy girls from school in 2149 that only cared about fitting in with the majority. At that moment, I allowed myself to wonder if maybe, just maybe, I had finally escaped the oppressive social jungle of high school in 2149. It was then that I realized I might be able to find people here I could actually relate to. People like Jenna, or Henry, or Ally.

"I'm really liberal about basically everything," I told her. She reached out and rested her hand on my shoulder, a sign of relief and happiness. I've never figured out how it came to be, but right then and there, with Jenna resting her hand on my shoulder for only a second, was the beginning of a chapter of my life that would bring on endless hours of laughter, pranks, swearing, debating, and most importantly of all, a lifetime of friendship. That hand on my shoulder was a crystal-clear sign that we understood each other perfectly.

"You'll find school pretty accommodating, then." She told me, squinting up at the sky.

"Oh really? Why's that?" I asked, following her gaze. Overhead, a large bird-like creature, likely a pterodactyl, silently glided over us. All that could be seen was the crisp outline of its body; the bright sunlight darkened its underside so all we saw was a small shadowy figure an inch across flying high in the sky.

"For starters, we only go to school four days a week, and each school day is only three hours long." She said, looking at me.

"_Why_?" I asked. I wasn't complaining, but it puzzled me why we'd go from 32½ hours of school to only twelve. She let out a silent huff of laughter with a flash of a smile.

"Come on, I'll explain while we shop." She told me, beckoning me with her hand to follow her. We wandered through the market, stopping to smell flowers or drool over adorable clothing. It was _so _tempting to pick through the wonderful tops for the right size and then hand over a mere terra or two to vendors and walk away with a wonderful new addition to my wardrobe. Jenna guided me through the tricks and turns of the markets as we idly chatted and shopped. She told me that the vendors who sell things like clothing for such cheap prices often have the worst quality products.

"It's much better to buy from vendors who sell more expensive, higher-quality things," she said at one point, "than to have to come by every week to replace brand-new shirts and pants and whatnot from an inexpensive vendor."

"Okay…so where do you recommend I get clothing from, then?" I asked, looking up from a gorgeous display of wooden jewelry to Jenna, whose fingertips were lightly floating over the multitudes of necklaces and bracelets. She glanced at me.

"There are some things I get from markets, but in general, I go to this lady to makes custom clothes. She has a huge database on her Plex of all her customers' measurements and whatnot, organized by last name. She has a special scanner thing that scans over your body and it measures your body in key places…you know; bust, waist, and hips? All the basics that are needed to size clothing." She told me.

"Oh, cool. I always enjoyed getting clothing custom-made, but it was _so _expensive in 2149." I replied.

"They teach sewing classes at school to us high school-age kids," she said.

"Oh yeah, the school. You never told me- why is there so little school?" I asked. She looked at me.

"This place is so different than 2149; there aren't giant cities and expensive universities and stuff, you know? Because there aren't any universities to go to, you just start your basic job training once you reach high school. You choose an area of expertise -the medical field, or military, or agriculture, or whatever- and then during high school, you take classes that prepare you for post-high school life in that career." She told me.

"So, if I wanted to be a doctor, for example, I would have to take a bunch of medical classes and then when I graduate, I'm a doctor?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No. In high school, you take classes that would _prepare _you for the medical field, like biology and chemistry. Then when you graduate you would, generally speaking, get put on a waiting list for an internship program at the infirmary. We've got three or four doctors, so people you usually get picked up on an internship pretty fast." She replied.

"Don't lots of people try to get into the medical field?" I asked.

"Not really. A lot of the people who were doctors in 2149 only wanted the money so they could get by. Here, since you can't get evicted or anything, people can do what they really want to do with their life. A lot of people go for agriculture, surprisingly." She replied.

"Usually, how many interns are there at a time in the medical field?" I asked. I felt bad for bombarding her with questions, but I was genuinely curious. Besides, she had a smile on her face, showing that she was glad to answer my questions.

"Usually four or five, only. The classes you take in high school are pretty demanding, and a lot of people have no interest in taking a bunch of intense classes & always doing homework when they could spend their free time out and about doing something fun. It's a major commitment to do the med prep in high school." She replied, picking through fruit at a produce stand.

"What classes are you taking?" I asked.

"A lot of leadership style classes," she told me, handing a terra to woman behind the table. She picked up her purchase, a round, brown thing with wire wisps of brown fiber all over the outside.

"Okay, what in the _hell_ is that?" I asked as she used a rounded metal thing with a sharp point to drill out a hole in the brown thing. When she had a hole made, she pulled the thing out, revealing bright white flesh under the drilled out portion. She held the brown thing to her lips at the hole and tilted it back, drinking a little.

"It's a coconut…haven't you heard of coconuts?" she asked, laughing a little.

"…no." I replied, a little embarrassed. She stared at me blankly for a moment, then shrugged.

"Oh well. It's fine though; you're new…I guess I shouldn't have expected you to know about all the fruits right off the bat." She told me.

"It's true, I hardly know anything." I told her. I was half serious, but the smile on my face made me look unserious. She cracked up in laughter.

"You're such a goof..here, try it!" she chuckled, handing me the coconut. I brought it to my lips and tipped it back, letting the watery liquid flow into my mouth. It tasted alien; something I had never imagined tasting in my entire life. It was a queer flavor, but appealing.

"That's really good. Does it do anything special to your body?" I asked.

"It gives me lots of energy, which I need with my schedule." She replied.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I am studying to become a coach for the soccer team, so I'm always out practicing with kids and people and doing all these activities. I drink a lot of coconut water to stay hydrated and energized…if you ask me, coconut water is better for staying healthy than regular water!" she replied, taking the coconut from me. She took a sip and then handed it back to me.

"So…you're going to be the soccer coach?" I asked, looking around. I realized then that we hand gone some ways away from where we'd met. In all honesty, I had no clue where I was. I was putting all my trust in, essentially, a complete stranger. Jenna shrugged at my question.

"I hope so. I'd like to do that some day when I'm older, but for now, I'm fine with just being on the soccer team as a player." She told me. It struck me that she was someone I truly could admire. She had a demanding schedule, she stayed healthy, she was strong against malicious people, and she was confident with herself.

"I swear, is soccer the only goddamn sport people around here play?" I asked, half serious. She cracked up, doubling over with laughter for a few minutes. When she finally looked up at me, her face was pink.

"That was a good one…but, yeah…basically, it is the only sport…w-we don't really have room for…for much more!" every time she paused her speaking, she giggled like a little girl. I could help but laugh along with it.

"What's so funny?" I asked when she'd finally finished laughing.

"Oh, I dunno. You didn't strike me as the vocal type like that."

"_Vocal_?" I clarified.

"Yeah, you know, vocal; you just state your opinion without sugarcoating it."

"So kind of blunt?" I replied, amused. She smiled.

"Exactly. You're…_blunt._" She said, making me laugh. We continued on our way through the market for another hour or so, talking and laughing, getting to know each other better.

Eventually, we wound up at the soccer field, almost all the way across the colony from the market. It wasn't fancy; just a simple, flat field of green grass. We didn't go out on the field, as a group of people were running around on the field playing ultimate frisbee. Jenna pointed out a skinny girl with blonde hair playing the game, identifying her as her little sister, watched for a while, before heading back to Jenna's house to hang out indoors, with air conditioning.

"Hello?" she called out, dropping her bag on the floor as we walked in. A short woman around my mother's height came in from the backyard. She was wearing an apron over her clothes, and had her long dark red hair pulled out of her face with a pink bandana. She was pudgy, but she had sparkling eyes and a kind smile.

"Hi, dear," she greeted her daughter, then turned to me.

"And who might I have the pleasure of meeting?" she asked me with a smile.

"I'm Adriana…nice to meet you, m'am." I held my hand out. She chuckled as she shook it.

"No point in using formalities 'round here…a friend of Jenna's is a friend of mine, and my friends sure as hell don't call me _m'am_." She replied, laughing. I couldn't help but laugh along with her. Jenna, however, seemed a little embarrassed.

"Oh, okay, uh…" I trailed off, not sure what to call her now.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear! My name's Dot." She told me. She waddled over to the kitchen and fixed herself a tall glass of lemonade. I knew it was lemonade because I'd had lemonade once before. It had only been a little, but it was delicious. A little sour, but delicious none the less.

"I met Adriana today at the central market," Jenna told her mom, flopping down on a blue couch. I sat down in a wicker chair next to her.

"Out in this heat? Oh, Jenna, that's not…" she trailed off mid-sentence as her eyes landed on Jenna's bag laying on the floor in front of the door. "…the place for your bag to be. Go put it away, please." She finished, pointing to the bag briefly. Jenna rolled her eyes.

"_Why_? Hailey's not gonna be back for another hour, and mama isn't gonna be home from work until seven thirty." She told her mom.

"Mama?" I blurted out before I could think to hold my tongue. Dot smiled at me.

"It's our term for…um, Jenna, you told her, right? About our family?" she glanced at Jenna briefly.

"Of course," Jenna replied reassuringly.

"Okay, good. Mama is what the girls call my wife. Instead of us both being 'mom', she's mama, and I'm mom. Just to clear up confusion when talking to each other, you know." She told me. I nodded.

"What's your wife's name?" I asked her.

"Her name's Marie," she replied, "…Jenna, please put away your bag!" she pointed to the bag again, a little annoyed. With an exaggerated eye roll, Jenna climbed off the couch and picked up the bag.

"You want to see my room?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied.

"Here," she said, leading me to the closed door of her room. She slid the door open, hung the bag on a hook in the wall, and flopped down on her bed. I was a little surprised by her room; its appearance made my own room look sterile and lifeless. The comforter on her bed was a wash of bright blue and yellow shapes, while the floor was littered with shoes and clothing. There was jewelry hanging from the knobs of the dresser drawers, a mannequin wearing about thirty scarves, and a green moon chair. All in all, there was a general state of disarray to the room. I closed the door behind us.

"You sure decked out your room," I told her as I settled into the chair. She sat up and laughed dryly.

"I've had plenty of time to get all this stuff." She replied.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yup,"

"What pilgrimage did you come on?"

"Seventh," she told me.

"Were you recruited or did you win through the lottery?" I asked. She twiddled around in the drawer of her bedside table.

"Lottery…here, look." She replied, handing me a small metal device.

"What's this?" I looked to her for an explanation.

"We got it in the mail the day we found out we won through the lottery…actually, this is how we found out. Press the green button." She instructed me. I looked down at the device and found the button she was referring to; a small green button on the side of the device. It made a couple blipping noises and then projected a screen onto the wall of her bedroom. Jenna held up her pillow to the window to block the sunlight from entering the room. On the projection, there was a message:

**_Lottery Notification:_**

**_Congratulations, you have been selected through the USLCTN (United States Lottery Commission for Terra Nova) system to be a part of the Seventh Pilgrimage to Terra Nova._**

**_The Seventh Pilgrimage is set to depart Hope Plaza on Saturday, May 18th, 2147. Please arrive a minimum of two hours before the scheduled departure time of 12:00 pm to be properly processed through security. More information will be sent soon._**

**_Thank you. We look forward to seeing you at Hope Plaza._**

**_Sincerely,_**

**_the United States Lottery Commission for Terra Nova_**

"There's pictures," Jenna told me, "use the arrow buttons to click through them." Searching the device in my hands, I found two grey buttons- one pointing to the left, the other to the right. I pressed the right-facing arrow. The projection on the screen changed to a bright red poster with a black border. The image inside the border was two small arms holding a large, leaf-covered branch out to the large mouth of some sort of dinosaur. The creature had rows of sharp, pointy teeth. Across the top of the page, in yellow letters, it said "DO NOT FEED". Along the bottom in white letters, it said, "DINOSAURS MAY BITE". _No shit they may bite._ The other photos stored on the device were similar- a warning about deadly insects, warnings to stay in the compound lest you want to be chased by a slasher…I'd seen them all before. They were standard promotional posters about Terra Nova. Many were posted in libraries, shop windows, on street corners, in newspaper advertisements. I had even seen a few plastered to walls in Terra Nova.

"I've seen those posters before," I told her, turning the device off. Jenna moved her pillow from the window, filling the room with sunlight.

"They're everywhere…it's crazy." She told me, sitting on her bed. As she sat down, a photograph fluttered to the floor from her bed. It must've been on her bed, and when she sat down, the impact of her body sent it flying. As I went to pick it up, Jenna lunged for the photo. I managed to snatch it before she could. She had a horrified look on her face as I examined the photo.

The content of the photo was the type that was the most irritating to me, apart from duck-lip photos girls take. It was one of those photos of a couple kissing. Not an artsy, professional one, but one taken with a standard digital camera. I never came to understand why I hated those photos, of couples kissing, with such a passion. However, this wasn't your normal couple; it was two girls. One girl had dark brown hair, while the other had blonde hair. Both looked to be teenagers. It wasn't the fact that they were two girls, kissing, but who they were that bothered me. Well, not really bothered…more surprised. I recognized one of the faces almost instantly, even though her eyes were closed. She was sitting directly across the room from me with a sick look on her face.

**Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you to any and all who are enjoying this story so far. I probably won't be able to update this story for two or three days (depending on how much I work on chapter 16, which is the chapter I am currently working on), but do keep checking for an update anyway in case I do get my act together and dedicate some time to writing. BTW, this chapter gets kind of intense...**

Chapter Fifteen

"I…I can explain," Jenna squeaked out after a few moments of deadly silence. It was such a deep, complete silence that you could've heard a pin drop.

"I'm sure you can," each word hit Jenna like a brick wall.

"I…I was going to tell you eventually, but-"

"But what?" I cut in. She mumbled something under her breath I couldn't understand. Her head hung down, a curtain of blonde hair hiding her face. After a moment, a quiet sob came from her. A few tears stained her brown shorts.

"…Jenna?" I asked. I wanted to comfort her, but I wasn't sure why she was crying.

"I…I didn't want to tell you right away…'cause I thought…I thought you would think I was just trying to get with you." the words fell from her lips like daggers.

"Oh, Jenna…" I sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped my arms around her in a comforting hug, "I know you wouldn't do that," She slowly looked up at me. Her face was slightly splotchy & pink. I let go of her, but still sat close next to her.

"…Really?" she sniffed, holding my gaze with her bright green eyes.

"Really," I repeated. She smiled and wrapped me in a tight hug. I was surprised for an instant, but then I returned the hug whole-heartedly.

"I…I was afraid I'd lose you," she told me when she released me from her grip.

"You were afraid you'd lose me?" I asked. She nodded, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

"I don't really have all that many friends…maybe three or four, if that. Most girls think I'm trying to get some ass, even though I have a girlfriend." She replied.

"You have a girlfriend?" I asked, smiling. This genuinely made me happy. It was nice to know that a girl like her can find someone to love. Jenna jumped off the bed and dug through a drawer, pulling out her Plex. She sat down next to me again and turned the Plex on.

She flipped through the photo album to a picture of herself and the girl she been kissing in the other picture. It was a full-body photo, from a party, likely. They were both dressed nicely and had their hair styled beautifully. They were smiling and happy, arms around each other's waists. Her girlfriend was a little shorter than Jenna, and looked to be a little smaller than myself.

"Her name's Krista…we knew each other from the town I lived in before I moved here, in Montana… so I've known her for years. We didn't start dating until after we came here, though." She told me, smiling. I could see in her expression that she genuinely cared for Krista. "I love her a lot."

"How old is she?" I asked.

"Almost seventeen, like me." She said.

"You're almost seventeen?" I replied.

"My birthday's June fifth…what about you?"

"I'll be sixteen on July 14th," I told her.

"That's Bastille Day in France!" she told me, "Both my sister and I were adopted from France, so my family celebrates some French holidays, like Bastille Day."

"That's cool. I always forget because it's my birthday…I do celebrate Poisson d'avril, though." I replied. She laughed a bit.

"Ah, of course: Poisson d'avril, the French version of April Fool's day! That one's easy to remember, since it's the same day as our April Fool's day." She said. Poisson d'avril was one of my favorite holidays. In France, on April 1st, it was tradition to take paper cutouts of fish and stick them to people's backs without them noticing. Most people-myself included- usually only stick one fish per person. It literally translates to English as 'fish of April'.

"My family never expects it, even though I do it every year," I told her, giggling.

"It's kind of a competition in my family…we try to get as many on each other without getting caught. Last year, I managed to get 34 on my sister. She went all day with them on her back until one of her little friends told her they were there." We started to swap stories about pranks, giggling and laughing for nearly an hour as we chattered on aimlessly like the teenage girls we were.

"And I said, 'For every fish you've got on your back, you have to give me one kiss!'… she ended up kissing me fourteen times!" Jenna said at one point, referring to the month before on April 1st, when she managed to get fourteen fish on her girlfriend.

"Oh my god!" I choked out between my fits of laughter at one point. I stumbled out of her room and got a drink of water.

"I love pranking people…don't you?" Jenna asked when I returned.

"It's the best. I can't stand getting pranked, but it's hilarious to prank people." I told her.

"I'm the same way. It's like, I can prank you, but when you prank me, it's not cool!" She replied.

"And then they get annoyed when you say that you don't like getting pranked!"

"Ain't that a bitch," Jenna replied, "come on, I want you to meet Krista. I think you'll like her!"

Jenna had led me out of her house and down the road, past a market, and to the science facility. On the way there, she explained that Krista dreamed of being a botanist; a person who studies plants. She was an intern in the science facility, her mentor being Dr. Malcolm Wallace. Jenna explained that Malcolm was a good family friend to her family, which is how Krista got the internship; through Jenna & her family. She told me that on a Friday afternoon, the lab would be pretty empty apart from a few scientists. I followed Jenna through the main door when we arrived.

Inside, plants in pots were everywhere, along with decent-sized black cages containing lizards under heat lamps and large, colorful birds. The place was eerily quiet and, apart from the occasional feeder cricket squeaking or person moving about, the only sound came from the whirring of a few white fans keeping the room from being a sweltering hell. The ceiling floaters wafted about lazily. Two or three people were busy working on computers or analyzing rock & plant samples. More likely than not, they didn't pay attention to the two teenagers walking through the lab.

"She should be working in the back room today," she murmured to me.

Jenna led me past all the science-y stuff to a small room near the back of the building, the walls facing the lab made of frosted glass that looked to be four or five inches thick. Soundproof & impossible to see through, essentially. I always figured it was a room Malcolm went to when he was busy & didn't want to be distracted by the hustle & bustle of his colleagues. All I knew about him at the time was the he was the head of the science department. Pulling the handle, Jenna let herself into the room. I followed behind her. Inside, the lights were turned off. A little light streamed in through the glass, but just enough to barely make out shapes in the room. There was a white desk, covered with plants & rocks, against the far wall. An old-fashioned desktop computer sat on the desk, along with a keyboard. Wooden bookshelves lined with more plants and old books sat against two walls, making the room feel comfortable and warm.

It was a few moments until both Jenna and I noticed the movement on the floor off to the side of the desk: two bodies entangled together in desperate, white-hot passion.

"Oh, shit!" one of the bodies exclaimed. It sounded female, though it was hard to tell over the ragged breathing.

"Oh…my…god." Jenna said. I could sense that she was trembling. In an instant, she turned the light on full-blast, revealing the scene of pure devilry in front of us.

Both figures wore no clothing whatsoever; every scrap of fabric was scattered around the room, including a deep crimson bra with black lace. The one on bottom was an older man in his forties or fifties, with slightly balding hair. He had a rather large nose, with both nostrils flared wide. What nearly sent me over the edge was his partner: a shapely woman with creamy skin and a cascade of curly dark hair. She was splayed out over his chest, her fingers gripped the smooth tile floor for a hold that couldn't be found. Her face was conflicting; half pure pleasure, half deer-in-headlights. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. When she could see us clearly, a look of sheer terror overcame her face.

"Krista," Jenna murmured, her voice slightly frightening. There was such a pure, icy anger to it that made me want to run and hide under my bed.

"J…Jenna…I…I…I…"

"I hate you. I hate you, and I hope you rot in hell." Jenna interrupted. Her face was perfectly calm, perfectly stoic. Krista extracted herself from the man-I averted my eyes, not wanting to see a wrinkly old man's penis- and threw on her bra and jeans, not worrying about her underwear. The man merely lay there, obviously unconcerned that he was exposing himself to three minors-a federal crime in 2149. I guess exposing yourself to minors didn't matter once you'd had sex with one. The fact that he wasn't wearing a condom was even more disturbing; didn't Krista care about the risks of unprotected sex?

"Babe-" Krista stepped forward and put her hand on Jenna's cheek. Jenna pushed (more like shoved) Krista away.

"Don't touch me…don't…don't ever touch me again. You're such a despicable piece of worthless nothing…do you realize that? Having sex with an old man? What kind of lesbian are you?" she spat, each word flying from her mouth like pure venom.

"You're kidding me," the man said from the floor. Jenna glared at her.

"You shut up and get out of here…this isn't all her fault." She hissed. He rolled his eyes and went about dressing himself, not in particular hurry. We stood there in silence until he left, slamming the door on his way out. Jenna turned to Krista.

"Who's that guy?" Jenna demanded.

"Who's she?" Krista asked, pointing at me. "Is she one of your little friends?" I was appalled by the words coming from her mouth. It was foul and vulgar to hear someone speaking such obscene things.

"Of course not. I'm not a low-life…" her words faded as I tuned out. I did not want to listen to the couple's conversation.

"I'm going to wait outside," I said, quickly slipping out of the room. I hurried past the scientists and went outside, sitting down on a bench. Eventually, the spiteful talking turned into a full-blown yelling match. I could clearly hear their yelling, even being outside. I was thankful I couldn't understand their words. I couldn't even imagine what it was like for the poor scientists inside trying to work. I put my head in my hands, the yelling make me feel sad.

To this day, I've never been quite sure how long it was that I sat on that bench in the afternoon heat. Thankfully, the bench (and entrance to the building) faced the east, keeping me relatively cool in the shade. The only indication of time was the slow movement of the growing shadows. The fact that I could notice a difference in the shadows leads me to believe that I sat there for a couple hours. The yelling seemed to never end. As the few people trying to work on things inside the building left, I apologized to each profusely. To those who tried entering, I warned them. They'd run inside, do what they needed, and be gone in a few moments. People entering were few and far between, which was when I sat with my head in my hands. A few times, I heard loud smashes.

"Excuse me, are you okay?" a voice said, breaking me out of my trance-like state. It was clearly British. In front of me stood a decent-height man with strawberry blonde hair wearing khaki pants and a slightly wrinkled button-down shirt under a vest. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder. There was a general state of jumbled disarray to his appearance.

"Oh, um…yeah, I guess. I didn't want to be inside _there_." I told him, standing up. He cocked his head, confused.

"Listen," I told him. It was then that the voices from inside became obvious.

"What's your name?" he asked, looking at me, concerned.

"Adriana Prevot…and you?" I replied.

"Dr. Malcolm Wallace…now, Adriana, what is going on in there?" he told me.

"You know Krista, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Of course; she's my intern."

"I was with her girlfriend, Jenna, and we came here…and…and…" I almost couldn't bring myself to say what needed to be said to this man.

"And what?" he questioned, his face growing more concerned by the moment.

"And…and we walked in on Krista... having sex with some old man in the back room!" I spluttered out. A look of complete shock & disgust crossed his face. He began to mutter unintelligently to himself, in what I would eventually learn was true Malcolm fashion. It seemed to me that he was sorting out the situation, and what to do. When he came to his senses, he looked at me.

"Um, I'm going to need your help with this…I'll need you to take Jenna out, and get her far away from here." He told me. I nodded.

"Gladly. I'll follow you." I replied. He nodded and turned to the door. He place his hand on the handle, took a deep breath, and pulled it open.

Inside, it was a complete warzone. They had moved out of the back room and were circling each other like sharks, out on the open floor in the room, cursing & yelling profanities at each other. A few potted plants lay on the floor, smash to smithereens. Evidence to the crashing sounds I'd heard earlier. Krista was yelling vile, vulgar things at Jenna. When Jenna would snap back, her voice had a dryness to it that, I could tell, made it painful to talk. Yet, she continued. Malcolm dropped his pack on a chair and stood between the two, his arms held out at each.

"Stop it now, both of you. Not are you both being rude to my staff, but this pointless."

"Shut up, Wallace." Krista spat at him angrily.

"Don't tell him to shut up," I reprimanded her, "…come on, Jenna, let's go." I approached Jenna cautiously, touching her arm.

"Gladly. Get me away from that." She told me, standing next to me.

"Thank you, Jenna." Malcolm told her. She smiled curtly and turned around, heading for the door. I caught up to her and put my arm around her, guiding her out. She stopped before I could lead her out the door.

"Oh, and by the way: this relationship is OVER!" she yelled. I pushed her on, towards the door. As I went to shut the door behind us, we both caught Krista's response.

"Our relationship was over three months ago when I started screwing him! Have fun being along the rest of your life, you ugly fa-" I was thankful the end of her last word was cut off by the door. I knew what she'd said without having to hear the whole word: a cruel, homophobic slur used all-too-casually that rhymed with 'maggot'. It made my blood turn to ice, even without hearing the whole word.

My pants were wet with tears. Jenna's tears, to be specific. Mascara, too. We had went back to her house. While Jenna went to her room, I found Dot in the backyard, gardening, and explained the situation as best as I could. Though, I figured it would be best to withhold the exact details of what happened.

"She was being…uh, intimate with someone else." I told her. That was as in-depth as I was willing to go.

"I never liked the girl, to be honest." Dot replied.

"I'm going to go to her," I said. She placed her hand on my shoulder for a moment.

"Thank you," she told me. It was easily the most sincere thank you I'd ever received from anyone. I smiled and left her in the yard, going back to Jenna. I found her lying stretched on her bed. I squatted down next to her head. Her mascara was smudged around her eyes, but she didn't seem to care. She was staring blankly ahead, tears dribbling down her face silently.

"How are you?" I asked softly. She shrugged halfheartedly.

"Do you want me to sit with you?" I asked. She nodded. I sat down on the bed next to her head. I crossed my left leg and left my other dangling over the side of the bed. Jenna pulled herself up and sat next to me on the now-cramped twin bed. I wrapped my left arm around her shoulder, holding her close like I was comforting a child. She slumped over a bit, and put her arms around my waist. It was like a sort of half-hug, with her crying all over me. At one point, she managed to whimper a few words between the waves of tears.

"I…_sob_…can't live…without l-love….I n-n-needed her." I wasn't sure how to answer that, so I just continued to comfort her silently.

"It'll be okay," I said after a solid ten or fifteen minutes of silence, the only sound being her weak sobbing and whimpering. She turned her head to me.

"You…you think so?" she asked, sniffling. I smiled softly and nodded.

"I do,"

"You do?"

"I really do," I confirmed, "I've gone my entire life without love from a boyfriend or whatever. If anything, it's made me stronger than some people."

"But you don't _need_ a significant other, Adriana. You're this perfect, confident soul that doesn't need someone to tell you how much they love you."

"So are you," I told her. It was true, though. I envied the confidence I'd observed from her earlier in the day. If anyone was perfect, it wasn't me; I'd always thought Jenna looked like she'd been a model in some past lifetime. Jenna laughed coldly at my reply.

"Hardly. Before I had Krista, I was a _nobody._ A _loser_. Hardly anyone noticed me…and those few who did only saw me as the _lesbian _chick. But when Krista came along…they saw that…that…that…" she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"So what? Forget them. If anyone's a loser, it's those people for not recognizing what a great person you are." I told her. She had stopped crying, her face mostly dry.

"No. I'm the loser. They're the popular people. People who are so perfect and charismatic and wonderful…the 'top dogs' of the school…you know the type of person I'm talking about?" she replied, sitting up. She readjusted herself so that we were sitting across from each other on the bed. She folded her legs so she sat 'criss-cross applesauce', as I learned it in elementary school. I immediately thought of May, but felt it would've been inappropriate to bring up a good friend of mine as a popular kid. Not now, at least.

"There were lots at my school in 2149," I said, playing it safe. "What about here? Who's the top dog here?" Jenna scoffed at my answer, a look of discontent crossing her face briefly.

"It feels like everyone's a top dog over me…but if I had to narrow it down to one person…hmm…it would probably be…oh, I'd say this girl named May." She told me. My heart nearly skipped a beat. _May? Not May Jones, surely. She must be talking about a different May. She has to be…_

"What's this May chick like?" I asked, curious. Jenna smirked and cracked her knuckles.

"Where do I start? She's really conceited…she acts really fake, she complains a lot, she talks too much, her voice is really annoying…and you know what the worst part about her is?" she asked. I shook my head. None of these characteristics described May.

"What?" I asked.

"All she ever does is flirt with guys and act all tempting. Like, she'll wear a push-up bra & a super low cut, super tight shirt so her breasts are basically popping out of the shirt, and then she'll go and prance around with all her friends. She doesn't seem to have any morals." She told me.

I knew then and there that she wasn't talking about May Jones. I knew this, because, in fact, May did have morals. Though she told me she'd never considered herself religious, she did tell me she wasn't going to have sex until she was married. That was one of the few teachings her old-fashioned parents had hammered into her head that stuck with her.

"Wow," I mumbled.

"You know what? I bet she's been with every guy our age in the entire colony." Jenna told me, a hint of annoyance in her voice. It was surreal to hear people my age talk about sex like it was nothing; in 2149, I'm sure tons of people my age did talk about it, but I just never heard them. I had never had many friends, and those few friends I had didn't really ever talk about those things, myself included. I found it strange, but I wasn't all that surprised to hear it from her. Compared to many of my peers- both here and in 2149- I lived a somewhat sheltered life. After my father's 'death', my mother grew a little overprotective of my brother and I. Even in high school, she hardly let us go anywhere by ourselves. Maybe to the grocery store next door to our apartment building, or the library at the end of the street, if that. If we wanted to go to the mall, we had to have at least two other people with us. Losing her husband drove her nearly insane, and she didn't want to lose either of her babies.

"Is she mean to you?" I asked. It sounded so kindergartener-ish, asking if she was _mean_.

"She's terrible. She'll walk by me, and say…you want to know what she says to me?"

"What?"

"_Hey, lesbo,_"The words stunned me. Utterly shocked me. I was absolutely horrified. Why would someone say that? Surely, she didn't mean it in a _nice _way.

"…wow." I murmured.

"Yeah…wow is right." Jenna replied matter-of-factly. I decided now was the time to go for the jugular, to ask the golden question.

"So…" I began, "what does she…look like?"

"Why do _you _care what she looks like?" Jenna scoffed in reply.

"Oh," I mumbled, quickly coming up with an excuse, "I just want to see her so I can know who to avoid in school on Monday." Jenna accepted the response, and I knew she thought I was telling the truth.

"I don't like talking about her that much, but here, I'll show you our yearbook from last year." She hopped off the bed and found her Plex. She sat down again across from me, searching through the thing. When she got to what I assumed was an electronic yearbook, she scanned through pictures for the right one. When she found it, she enlarged it, and handed it to me.

The picture was a grey background, lit well. The photo captured the individual's face and shoulders. Shoulders that were covered by a teal colored shirt whose neckline went below the edge of the photo. The individual had a light dusting of freckles across her who face. Her hair (a lovely coppery-red color) was straightened, though I could tell it was naturally wavy and curly. Sparkling, bright blue-green eyes that stood out underneath a framing of thick, dark eyelashes and light brown eye shadow. Her complexion was flawless, without a single blemish or out-of-place marking anywhere. A big, bright white smile and natural pink lips. And then, the one detail that made my heart fall out my stomach.

In bold black letters underneath the photo: _May Alexandria Jones_

**I**** told you it would get kind of intense. Please review, this chapter especially!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hot off the presses! Chapter 16, finished just minutes ago. This chapter isn't really all that action-packed...but get ready, because some crazy stuff is going to happen in the next chapter (sorry to say, but it will take me probably at LEAST four or five days to write a whole chapter. I also apologize for any & all typos/error, because I didn't really feel like going through the story and editing for that kind of stuff! But enough with my blathering...enjoy!**

Chapter Sixteen

"So lemme get this straight…you're saying that she basically told you that May has turned into a complete sociopath?" Jacob asked, a slight air of concern to his voice. Our family-myself, Ally, Jacob, and our mom- were sitting around the dinner table after enjoying our first protein shake-free meal. We'd bought fish, vegetables, and even a small jug of milk. I found the milk incredibly rich, but it was wonderful. The vegetables, fresh potatoes, carrots, and peas, were roasted to perfection, and tasted delicious with the fish. I'd brought up the prospect of adopting one of Erin's puppies, which my family seemed pretty open to. _Dogs are a big responsibility, Adriana, _my mother had said before trying to hide her excitement. It was an obvious yes. We'd be going the next morning to see the puppies.

"Well, she didn't say anything about May _changing_…I dunno, maybe May decided to act like a sociopath when she got here." I replied. I realized that wasn't the right thing to say to my distressed brother.

"Thanks for the words of encouragement," my brother muttered.

"I'm sorry. I don't know whether it's true or not. I'm just telling you what I was told." I replied.

"Out of anyone in this whole universe, I know her best. May didn't change." My brother wasn't stating his opinion; it was law in his mind.

"Don't sweat it, Jacob. Everyone's perception of each other is different. Jenna might just be bitter about May's popularity…or something." Ally said, trying to reassure Jacob. What she said was true, though; Jenna did appear to be bitter towards May. Ally had only met May five or six times, but it was enough for them to be good friends.

"Really, dear, you shouldn't worry…as a doctor, I think you just need a good night's sleep." My mother chimed in.

"She's right, you know…you can never get too much sleep." I said, looking at Jacob.

"Fine by me. Extra sleep sounds like a good idea to me." Jacob replied, standing up. He picked up his dirty dishes, rinsed them off in the sink, and headed towards his room.

"What're you doing, Jacob?" I asked. He glanced back at me as he entered his room.

"I'm going to bed." He replied, shutting the door.

"Why? It's only 7:30." I asked, knowing he could hear me. He opened his door just enough so he could poke his head out.

"Because," he said, a sarcastic smirk on his face, "_you can never get too much sleep_." He snapped the door shut. I rolled my eyes and turned back to my mother and Ally.

"Don't worry about him, Adriana…you should go to bed, too, though." My mother told me. I shrugged, standing up. I didn't bother to put my dishes in the sink, and I didn't really care if I got in trouble for it. I went into my room, changed into a t-shirt and pajama shorts, and crawled into bed. There, I sat and thought about the day.

After Jenna had composed herself, I left her house. Dot had thanked me for comforting Jenna. I left with a strange relief to be away from Jenna's grief. Afterwards, I'd stopped by Henry's house to apologize for ditching him. However, only his stepmom and little brother were home, so I told her to pass on the message. I chatted with her for a few minutes before I left. I headed home, only to find the house empty. For the next two hours, I read books on my Plex until Ally came home with Ryan. He departed, leaving her with a sweet kiss to linger on. The two of us spent the rest of the evening talking and gossiping about everything. I told her everything; about Jenna, the orchard, the fields, the markets, the incident in the science lab. Well, almost everything…I didn't tell her about the kiss. Ally was often quick to jump to conclusions, and with a knack for causing trouble with her words, I honestly didn't think Ally could keep that kind of a secret. It had been the craziest day of my entire life.

Saturday

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning, at least two hours before any of my family would be up. I put on running shorts and a tank top, along with a pair of athletic shoes I never wore, and went for a run. I found it to be quite relaxing, and a good stress reliever, to go on a run around the colony. I made one loop around the entire colony in 45 minutes. A distance of likely five miles, I estimated, knowing that I ran a 9-minute mile.

By the time I'd gotten home, it was already beginning to get warm. As soon as I entered the house, I kicked off my shoes and took a long, cold shower, letting the cold water wash over me. When I got out, I dried my hair and styled it straight. I sat in front of my mirror and did my makeup, and then I dressed in a flowy grey shirt with an all lace back and jean-style shorts that hit just above the knee. I found my grey sneakers and slipped into them. Jacob was sitting in a chair at the kitchen counter, drinking a cup of coffee when I left my room. I never understood the appeal of coffee; I always found it bitter and unpleasant.

"Hey," he murmured, the coffee clearly not having yet charged him up.

"Morning!" I said happily, finding an orange in the fridge.

"How're you so alert and fancied up already? It's only 7:45." He asked, noting my put-togetherness.

"I've been up since six," I told him. He looked at me like I was speaking gibberish.

"On a Saturday? Why, Adriana, would you get up at six in the morning on a _Saturday_?" he asked. I laughed and started peeling away the skin from the cold orange in my hands.

"I just wanted to go running, I guess…and what're you doing up this early? You always get up at nine or ten on the weekends."

"I couldn't sleep…er, I guess, I didn't need to sleep. I got almost twelve hours of sleep last night." He replied. I ate an orange slice.

"Do you know how pretty the colony is in the early morning?" I asked.

"No," he replied, "what's it like?"

"The sky… it's all pink and yellow and orange. It was really misty. It's _so_…quiet. The only thing I heard other than myself was a squawk."

"Peaceful," Jacob said.

"Peaceful," I echoed. I realized this was a beautiful moment between us. It was so simple…having a conversation about the weather with my brother. It was simple and easy. Nothing was bothering either of us at the present moment. Nothing to be stressed about. It was Saturday... _Saturday. _Our first weekend in Terra Nova.

"What's going on today?" Jacob asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

"Uh…" I began, sorting out information in my head, "that medical convoy is coming home today. Mom has to be there when they arrive to meet her coworkers who were gone. We were going to go see the puppies before the convoy gets back, though."

"Anything else?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think so. I was planning to go see the convoy return."

"Do you want to play soccer instead?" he asked as I ate another slice of orange. I shrugged.

"At the field?" I asked, even though I knew that was where he was talking about.

"Yeah."

"But the convoy…"

"Won't be the last one." My brother finished my sentence, even though it wasn't what I'd planned to say.

"Sure," I said blankly. I'd just fallen victim to my brother's ability to twist just about anyone into doing what _he_ wanted to do. It was an interesting characteristic; sometimes we used it to cause mischief or get what we wanted, and sometimes he used it on me. Ally had always been one of the few he couldn't manipulate. Not even our mother was exempt from it.

"When were we going to go see the puppies?" he asked.

"I think around ten," I told him. He nodded and got up, heading towards the bathroom. The only sound in the house was my brother in the shower. I let the quiet tranquility I'd felt earlier while running consume me again while I consumed the orange.

My family approached Erin's door. My mother had told Jacob to wear a nice button-down shirt and slacks. The slacks seemed ridiculous to wear, and after a brief argument, Jacob got his way. He was presently wearing jeans, sneakers, and a button-down shirt. Ally wore a flowy maxi dress and sandals, something she had picked out the night before simply by choice, not to look respectable (those she did look nice in it). My mother had dressed in work clothes; a blouse and slacks. Then you had me, with my shorts and sneakers. It was a stark difference, my family's dressiness to my casualness. I wasn't concerned, though. Erin knew me, and had a first impression of me already (whatever that may have been). My family had never met this woman, and wanted to look nice. Wanted to look respectable. My mother held her fist to the door, and rapped on the wood sharply three times.

"Ah, the Prevot family. Welcome, come into my home." Erin greeted us. I led the way in, my family close behind. Erin led us to the area where the dogs were kept. Both fat chocolate lab pups were still there, not looking much different than how they had on Thursday. One of the German shepherd puppies was gone, its sibling housed with the labs. All the French bulldogs were there. The puppies were all up and awake, wrestling or chewing toys or yapping at each other. The mothers were roaming free in the house, wagging their tails and sniffing us, free do as they pleased. Erin went through the process of explaining about all the dogs as she had with me two days earlier.

"These frenchies are great pups. They're only going to weigh twenty pounds as adults at the most." She told my family. I had found my little brown and white puppy from before. She seemed to recognize me, because the moment I picked her up, she was licking my face and wagging her tiny tail like crazy. My family members were playing with various other puppies, laughing and cooing over the creatures. I purposely didn't tell them about my preference to the puppy I was holding, lest they feel obligated to pick that dog. It was then that I would begin convincing them to choose her.

"Cops used to use German shepherds as K9 unit dogs," Jacob said, playing tug-o-war with the German shepherd.

"Do you see these labs, though, Jacob? They're _so_ adorable!" Ally said, cuddling one of the clumsy pups in her arms. My mother was even down on the floor with the dogs, playing with two of the mother dogs.

"Aren't you going to play with the puppies, mom?" I asked from the couch. She shook her head.

"Nah. This is our family's first dog, so I want you guys to pick it. I'm happy with whichever one you three choose." She told me.

"What's that, mom?" Jacob asked.

"I want you guys to select our puppy. I'm not going to tell you which one I want. You guys are choosing one." My mother told him. He shrugged.

"Let's do it, then." He said.

"Do what?" Ally asked, carrying her dog to sit next to me on the couch. The two dogs we had began to play on the couch between us.

"Choose a dog."

"Oh, okay. Which one do you like, Jacob?" Ally looked to my brother.

"I want a big tough dog," he said, "what about you, Adriana?"

"I like this one," I said nonchalantly, scooping the brown and white French bulldog next to me into my arms.

"What about you, Ally?" Jacob questioned.

"I think a big dog would be cool," she said, referring to the lab at her side, "but I like the one Adriana has." Jacob tried to hide his disappointment, but did so poorly.

"But the big dogs…" he trailed off.

"All have deposits on them already. The only dogs left are the French bulldogs." Erin said, cutting him off.

"Oh," he murmured with dismay.

"Who put down deposits?" I asked. Erin shook her head.

"Not allowed to say who. You'll see people around the colony with them eventually. You can figure it out then."

"So..." I said, trying to get the ball rolling.

"I guess we're taking that one," Jacob said glumly, pointing to the puppy in my arms.

"Yay!" Ally and I both shrieked with happiness. Jacob wasn't pleased.

"It's settled, then." My mother said, standing up. She turned to Erin.

"When can we take her home?" she asked expectantly.

"Friday the 28th. That's when they'll be old enough to take home." Erin replied.

"Do we need to get anything for the dog?" Ally piped up.

"A bed, food & water dishes, toys…and you'll want to puppy-proof your home." Erin told us.

"_Puppy-proof_?"

"You know, cover electrical sockets, put valuables out of the dog's reach…basically, just baby proof the house. Puppies and babies are basically the same in that sense." She clarified, glancing to my mother.

"I know all about child-proofing things after raising these two." She said, smiling, referring to Jacob and I.

"I have complete faith that you guys will be great owners." Erin replied. My mother smiled.

"Thank you…I think we should be going, now, though. I've got to meet the incoming medical convoy." My mother told her politely. Erin nodded.

"Go on, then. Best not be late for that." She said, urging us towards the door. I kissed our puppy on the forehead and hugged her before putting her back with her siblings. She stood on her back legs, her front paws pressed against the cage as though she were saying, _Hey, where are you going? Don't leave me!_

The ball flew past my head, whistling as it passed within inches of my left ear. I chased it down the field, stopping it with my foot.

"Nice kick!" I yelled to my brother, who was at least thirty yards away.

"Better than you!" he yelled back, smirking. _It's on! _I sent the ball right at him with as much power as I could muster after playing soccer for nearly an hour and a half. The ball would've knocked him to the ground had he not been ready for it. I could hear him cursing in surprise at my swift response. Laughing, I jogged over to him and helped him to his feet.

"Jeez, when did you get such a strong kick?" he asked, only half serious. I laughed.

"It's probably just all this healthy living that gives me the extra power,"

"Whatever," he scoffed, "have you been taking steroids lately or something?"

"You're kidding me," I was appalled.

"No, Adriana," he snapped back sarcastically.

"Okay, sheesh."

"Whatever…do you want to get some lunch?" Jacob asked.

"Sure. We can get something from the market by the house." I told him.

"Let's go then!" Jacob said, picking up his soccer bag.

"Race you there!" I said, taking off at a sprint. I didn't wait for him, but glanced over my shoulder and saw him a yard or two behind me, clearly caught off guard by my challenge.

At home (I won the race), we each took a quick shower to erase the dirty sweatiness from playing soccer earlier. I didn't care to do anything to my hair, so I wrapped it in a quick, messy bun. I had washed off my makeup in the shower along with all the sweat on my face, and only reapplied mascara afterward. I dropped my stinky work out clothes in our solar-powered washing machine, along with the rest of my dirty laundry, after dressing in cropped leggings, a v-neck shirt, and sneakers.

"You ready?" I asked after Jacob had gotten out of the shower and changed into clean clothes. He looked up at me as he searched the pockets of his basketball shorts.

"Do you have any money?" he asked in response.

"Yeah, mom gave me some this morning but I didn't use any of it. I only grabbed some of it, though." I said, pulling a few coins out of my bra. Jacob grimaced.

"Really?" he asked, an _are you serious?_ look on his face.

"What? I don't have any pockets." I told him, smiling. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"Whatever…I'm not touching any of that money, so you know." He replied, making me laugh.

"Come on, let's go already." I said, heading out the door. Jacob followed after me.

The market was busier than usual. I wasn't sure if it was because it was lunchtime, but we managed to snag some fresh-grilled fish kebabs before heading over to our father's stand. We found him in an intense haggling war over a couple bananas and a coconut with an old man shorter than my mother. He didn't acknowledge us as we approached, but he glanced at us, a sign he'd seen us. Eventually, the two agreed on a price, and the man went on his merry way with his food. Our father turned to us.

"Hey, you guys…what've you been up to?" he asked, eyeing our food.

"Jacob and I were playing soccer," I told him. He nodded approvingly.

"Sounds fun…did you know there's a conference tomorrow for the colony team?" our father replied.

"Adriana's friend Henry told us about it," Jacob said.

"Ah, Henry…good kid." Our father replied.

"You know him?" Jacob seemed surprised, and rightfully so. Most 39-year-old men usually aren't familiar with local 16-year-old boys, not matter where you are.

"Yeah, I've taken a couple cooking classes with him. His dad is a pretty cool guy, too." He replied.

"How do you know his dad?" Jacob asked.

"When I worked at Boylan's, he was one of the many regulars."

"Regulars?"

"Boylan's is basically where soldiers go when they're not on duty. Stop by, have a drink, hang out with your friends…you know, just chill out & relax."

"Oh…small world." Jacob replied.

"Could we buy some fruit from you?" I asked.

"Of course. What do you want?" my dad replied.

"Uh…" I looked at the multitudes of fruit. "I'll take an apple…Jacob, what do you want?"

"I'll take a pear," Jacob told our father. He nodded and found them for us.

"That'll be four terras," my dad told us. I handed him a coin valued at ten terras, causing Jacob to snigger.

"What?" our dad looked at Jacob. My brother smiled and shook his head.

"Nothing," Jacob replied between his teeth, trying to hold back his laughter.

"Whatever, you goof," my father replied with an unsure smile. He handed us our fruit, and we left his stand. We walked across the market (it wasn't all that big) and settled down on the half-circle stone bench next to Boylan's to eat our lunch, with a clear view of the gate, Taylor's headquarters, and the market.

"I can't believe you gave him that money," Jacob said after a few minutes of quiet eating.

"What? It's just money…has a female ever given you money before?" I asked.

"Probably,"

"Then you've probably touched boob money." He choked a little on his pear.

"Did you just say _boob money_?" he asked, staring at me. I found the look on his face to be quite comical, causing me to giggle.

"What? You've never heard that term?"

"No, Adriana. I'm a normal person."

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically, "but most normal have heard of the term."

"What does that make me, then?" he asked curiously.

"Abnormal," I said, grinning.

"Whatever," he replied, throwing the stem of his pear at my face. I snapped off a bit of the wooden skewer my fish was skewered on to, and threw it at Jacob, making him laugh.

"Hey! I can see the convoy!" someone shouted. Both mine & Jacob's heads snapped to the clearing in front of the gate. Just emerging from the tree line were three rovers. Two were open-sided, and small figures were standing up with their heads & torsos visible. A few were just specks of blue, while others were green-grey in color.

"I wonder if mom's here yet," I said, searching the crowd.

"Right there," my brother said, pointing to my mother, who was chatting with a coworker on the edge of the stone clearing, ready to greet the incoming personnel.

"Good eye," I said, finishing off my fish kebab. Placing the skewer on the bench, I took a bite out of my apple, chewing thoughtfully.

"Should we go down there with mom?" Jacob asked.

"Nah…it's not like we know any of them, and we'd probably just get in the way." I replied, taking another bite of my apple. Jacob let out a long, deep breath that sounded more like a sigh that anything.

"Yeah, it's not like we would know any of them,"

**Please review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry this chapter took so long to update! I've been sick with a cold the past four or five days, and I did honeslt kind of ignore writing. I hope you like this chapter, because some crazy stuff happens (not like what happened in the last chapter;). It's a good crazy, though. I was feeling lazy this morning, and didn't feel like editing it for typos or anything, so sorry for any and all errors.**

Chapter Seventeen

Sunday

"Ally, are you going to the soccer conference?" I asked, strapping my shin guards to my legs. I was sitting on the end of my bed, dressed in soccer gear. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and I'd chose to only wear waterproof mascara, simply to avoid getting raccoon eyes from sweat and whatnot.

"No, I wasn't planning to. Today is Ryan's day off, and we were going to hang out." My cousin told me from the bathroom. Though it was 11:30 on a Sunday morning, we -along with Jacob- were the only ones home. My mother had been out on an emergency surgery call since four that morning, and had been at the clinic since then.

"Are you ready yet, Adriana?" Jacob asked, popping his head in the door to my room.

"Lemme on put my shoes really quick," I said, lacing my cleats quickly. I left the room and found my filled-up water bottle on the kitchen counter, full of water and ice cubes.

"You got everything?" Jacob asked.

"Yup…what about you, Jacob? Did you fill a bottle of water?" I asked in response. He nodded and dug his own bottle out of his soccer bag, slung over his shoulder.

"Got it,"

"Okay, then we're ready to go…Ally, we're leaving!" I said, heading towards the door. Ally poked her head out the bathroom door, only half of her face applied with makeup.

"Okay, have fun." She said with a smile.

"Bye," Jacob called. He followed me out the door, shutting behind us. We headed down our road towards the soccer field, looking at the unpromising grey sky overhead.

We had just reached the soccer field when the heavens opened up and began drizzling on us with a steady stream of rain. We, along with the other thirty five or so people there, stood there dismally, bummed out by the water. A woman with an umbrella & megaphone jumped up on a bench on the sidelines, commanding our attention.

"People! We are Terra Novan soccer players, the strongest in the universe. We will not let a little drizzle ruin our fun! Get into groups of ten, and we'll begin some games. Each game will last an hour, and everyone will get to play each other. Once everyone has played, there will be free time to practice your skills and socialize while playing. Let's go!" she said, a rally cry escaping her lips as she jumped off the bench. Everyone hooted with excitement and joined in groups randomly. Jacob and I found ourselves in a rather intimidating group, with five of our teammates being players on the team. Henry was amongst them, to my delight. The other three people on our team consisted of a man in his early forties, a girl in her mid-twenties, and a boy a few three or four years younger than me. All in all, we were a pretty respectable looking team. Only time would tell whether these three other people were any good.

The man in his forties turned out to be a pretty decent player, but he broke his toe during a particularly tough bit in the first game we played, his toe being broken by Jenna, who'd shown up to the conference at the last minute. We were down one player, without anyone to replace him, so we had to continue with only nine people. The kid was decent for his age, but had no endurance. The twenty-something year old girl was stunningly bad, which surprised me, based on her athletic physique. Henry was a great player, but lacked control; when someone got the ball from him, you could see the look of frustration in his face. Whenever he made a goal, he went crazy. The other four people on our team were older- one was in her late thirties- but they all looked like they should've been on a professional team, from the way they played. I was astounded by how quick, how deadly-accurate, they were with everything. Each move was step in a precise dance that nearly distracted me more than once.

When the referee blew his whistle signaling the end of the last game, I found my water bottle and ball, and headed out into the field to practice my soccer juggling. The rain finally subsided, and the sun had come out of nowhere. Jacob was practicing with other guys he'd met. Dropping the bottle on the ground a yard or two away from where I was practicing, I fell into my own little world. I let everything around me blur out as I concentrated.

I had finally managed to catch the ball with my foot eight times when I became aware that droplets of water were being showered down on me from one side. At first, I thought it was more rain, and had ignored it. But no; the water was coming from off to my left, not from above. Turning around, I was faced by a smiling girl around my age, holding my water bottle. It was her who had been spraying me with water from my water bottle. She was about my height (maybe an inch shorter, if that), with a spattering of freckles across her slightly sweaty pink face. She was wearing blue nylon shorts and a green & brown soccer jersey, along with brown cleats & knee-high socks. Her frazzle of copper-colored hair was pulled into a messy bun. She was built pretty thin, but I could see that underneath the unflattering jersey, she had a hourglass figure. I stared at her, not all that sure what the crazy chick was going to do.

"Um…" I said, unsure of what to do. She smiled a huge smile.

"Adriana?" she said. _She knows my name?_

"H…how do you know my name?" I stammered, taking a step back. She sat the water bottle in the grass and took a step towards me, her palms up.

"Adriana, it's me...don't you recognize me?" the words hit me like a sledgehammer. It was at that moment that I realized who, exactly, was standing in front of me. Someone I'd grown up with, someone I'd confided in, someone who'd been my partner in crime. Someone who was one of my closest friends. Someone who didn't look like this the last time I'd seen her.

"AHHHHH!" I screamed, engulfing her in a massive hug. She wrapped her arm around me in response, and we both began jumping up and down with excitement.

"OhmygodAdrianaIcan''tbelieveIhaven'tseenyouinayear!" the words flew out of her mouth in an almost incomprehensible babble. I let go of her, but held her hands in a friendly way.

"I can't believe it's really you, May." The words felt so alien coming from my lips, but they were words I'd been waiting to say for a year. I hugged her again, overcome with joy. When we broke apart again, I saw she had to wipe a tear from her eye. I laughed.

"I thought I was seeing things when I saw you earlier during the second game," May told me, "I had to do a double take, because I didn't think it was really you. I've kind of been watching you since then, waiting for the right moment to come talk to you."

"Stalker much," I replied, smirking. She laughed.

"Oh, shut up. I've been so busy lately that it wouldn't have surprised me had I actually started seeing things."

"Where have you been? I've been here since Wednesday, and it seemed that nobody knew who you were or where we could find you." I said. She laughed and ran her fingers through her hair.

"I find it hard to believe people don't know who I am…but I was out on the medical convoy that got back yesterday afternoon." She told me.

"You were on the medical convoy?" I asked, a little surprised. She nodded.

"Yup. I'm studying to be a nurse, and my mentor wanted me to experience work in the field…the reason this conference was held today was because the team didn't want me to miss out on today. We were planning to scout for some new players, and they thought it would be best if I was here to help scout." She told me.

"Why does it matter whether or not you were here?" I asked, cocking my head slightly.

"For starters, I'm the captain of the soccer team." She said, grinning.

"_You're _the captain?" I asked.

"Adriana!" an all-too-familiar voice called out. Henry jogged up to May and I.

"Hey, Henry…uh-" I said, unsure what to say to him when I was in the middle of a reunion with one of my closest friends.

"I see you met my friend I was telling you about the other day," he said with a smile.

"I've known May for years. We grew up together in Chicago." I told him matter-of-factly.

"Funny, what a small world." He replied.

"So you were gossiping about me, Henry?" May said, batting her eyelashes playfully.

"No, I was telling Adriana about the conference, and how our _captain _and a few others were on the medical convoy." Henry replied. I felt slightly dismayed, because I remembered everything Henry had told me about May, and his feelings towards her.

"It's true," I told her sarcastically. She grinned and swatted my arm playfully.

"Oh, whatever! You are guys are such retards." She told him.

"Henry's the retard, not me!" I said, laughing. She laughed again with me.

"Thanks, friend." Henry said, clapping me on the shoulder briefly.

"How do you guys know each other?" May asked, looking from Henry to me for an answer.

"I met him at orientation…he was teaching the cooking class." I said, realizing how pathetic that sounded. May smirked and flashed her eyes at Henry briefly.

"Funny," she murmured, "but Adriana…so, um…where's my boyfriend?" she asked, her eyes softening. I glanced at Henry, a complete look of shock across his face.

"Since when did you have a _boyfriend_?" he asked, unable to hide his surprise. Both May & I couldn't help but start laughing uncontrollably.

"Jacob," I told him when I had managed to get myself under control.

"Jacob?" he asked.

"Yeah, you know…my brother?" I replied.

"Yeah, yeah, I know who your brother is, Adriana…but who's your boyfriend, May?"

"Jacob," she breathed.

"How is he your boyfriend?" Henry had a hysterical look of confusion on his face.

"He walked up to me, asked me to his girlfriend, and I said yes."

"Since when?"

"Since we were fourteen, Henry." Her voice was slightly annoyed, but mostly amused.

"But-"

"Don't worry about it, Henry." I cut in. The look on his face was obviously disappointment.

"Adriana, where's Jacob?" May asked. I turned my attention to her, and then searched the field. My brother was twenty yards away, dribbling the ball between a set of cones.

"There," I said, pointing him out. "Call his name."

"Jacob!" May yelled, her voice loud and clear. Jacob stopped and looked around, unsure of who'd called him.

"Call again," I told her.

"Jacob!" she yelled, louder. He looked around more frantically, but still didn't spot us. Behind me, Henry was sniggering to himself. I rolled my eyes & cupped my hands around my mouth to amplify my own voice.

"To your right, idiot!" I yelled as loudly as possible. Jacob turned to our direction, causing the three of us to burst out in a short second of laughter at his response to the word 'idiot'. He saw me, then Henry, and then…when his eyes landed on the third figure with us, his jaw slowly fell to the ground, his eyes wide. I glanced at May, and I knew that she & Jacob's eyes had met. There was an electric current between them, their eyes locked on each other. May smiled, and waved slowly. He blinked slowly, then rubbed his eyes. His mouth was still on the ground when the black and white soccer ball came flying at him like a bolt of lightning, slamming into his crotch with such force that he was knocked to the ground.

Henry was the first to start laughing. His initial laugh made me jump, but I couldn't hold a straight face while listening to his infectious laughter. I broke out in guffaws of amusement, falling to the ground. I couldn't help but roll around as I held my stomach. May was on the ground, too, with Henry soon after her. We laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I laughed until it was nearly impossible to breathe, my throat screaming for water. I fumbled around in the grass for my water bottle. When I found it, I nearly choked on the water from laughter.

Eventually, when the amusement wore off, we made our way over to Jacob, who was curled in a ball trying to ease the pain he felt. Henry stood over him, while May and I bent down on either side of his head-me on his right, May to his left. Jacob's eyes were squeezed shut with agony.

"Jacob?" May asked softly. My brother opened his eyes, and looked at both of the faces staring at him. His eyes met May's, and all pain left his face. He slowly raised his right hand, caressing her cheek. Her left hand overlapped his, causing a moment of pure goodness between them- love, happiness, relief, and joy. They both leaned towards each other, meeting in the middle for a soft, loving kiss. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, so I discreetly wiped them away. This moment was truly magical; something I'd remember for the rest of my life.

"May, I swear; you've changed so much since we last saw you." my mother said, smiling at May from across the table.

After Jacob & May kissed, we left the field, leaving Henry there. Nobody invited him to come with us, and I figured that even if someone had, he would've politely refused. I told him we'd hang out later, before joining my brother and May to go home. As we were walking off the field, I caught a glimpse of Jenna watching us with utter disbelief. I had mouth _sorry_ to her, hoping that would be an acceptable apology for the moment. We walked home, ready to surprise out mother. When we got to the door, May meandered in like she had just seen us the day before. She walked in, yelling 'Lucille! I'm over!' like she would whenever she came to our apartment in Chicago. My mother poked her head out of her room with a look of confusion on her face. When she saw May, she came running into the room and wrapped May in a big bear hug. It was all very emotional, because she'd always loved May like another one of her children (this was always a topic of debate between May & I because if my mom considered May her third child, that would mean that -theoretically- May was dating her brother). After catching up for nearly an hour, May went home to shower and change out of her sweaty soccer clothes before coming over for dinner. Jacob & I both followed suit, dressing nicely for dinner, as May's whole family was coming over for dinner with her.

At the current moment, there were nine people gathered around our too-small dining table: myself, Jacob, Ally, my mother, May's parents, and her little brother. Our table normally fit no more than five or six people, but with a little strategic arranging, we managed to fit everyone at the table. May's parents seemed distracted by something, but nobody said anything about it. Apart from her brother being a little taller, there was only one other thing I'd noticed that was different about May's family: the way they said my family's last name, Prevot, was strange. Our last name is pronounced "pree-voe", with the "T" on the end silent. I noticed that May's family (mainly her parents) were pronouncing our last name as "preh-voo". They weren't the only people I knew from home that had a different sound to their voice; my uncle Max had a slight Australian accent, as did my father (though his was much less noticeable). May, however, didn't sound different at all. She had the same crystal-clear voice that everyone loved.

"I dunno…I don't think I've changed _that _much. Maybe it's all this healthy food and sunshine." She said, shrugging.

"Maybe you guys will be the next to change, Lucille," May's mother, Sarah, said. "But regardless, it's good to see that you're all here safe and sound."

"Agreed. I was so thrilled when I was contacted by the recruiters…there were only two things that I was worried about." My mother replied.

"And what's that?" May's father, Tim, asked.

"One was leaving my parents behind. The other was leaving Alex's ashes. Hope Plaza said that human remains weren't allowed, so we had to send Alex's ashes to his parents in Richmond, Indiana." My mother told him. My eyes flashed to Jacob, who met my look. We were both thinking the same thing: those weren't our dad's ashes.

"Do you know why they don't let remains through the portal?" May asked. My mother shrugged.

"I haven't a clue."

"It's because the portal can only transport live things, or inanimate objects, but not things that were once alive. Things like humans… but that's what I heard through the grapevine." May replied.

"Interesting…it's a shame though. I think he would've liked it here." My mother said, her voice trailing off a bit.

"What if Alex were here, Lucille?" May said. My heart nearly skipped a beat as she spoke. I glanced in her direction, and met her eyes. It was obvious from the look she gave me that my mother was the only person at the table that didn't know Alex Prevot lived a few houses away from where we were sitting at that moment. Painfully obvious. So obvious that it was almost comical in a way, and I found myself having to suppress laughter.

"He'd love it…he'd probably work in agricultural duty, since he loves working outdoors and whatnot." She said, her voice thick with longing and sentimentality. Her answer proved just how well she knew her husband; even after ten years of him being gone, she was still able to accurately guess what he did for a living. The unfortunate part about the whole situation was that our father lived just a stone's throw away, and yet, he could have been on another planet.

"I can imagine him out in the fields tending to plants and stuff," I said.

"So can I. Uncle Alex loved plants and stuff." Ally added.

"Maybe he would've worked in the science lab," Jacob suggested. The fact that he was bringing up one of the occupations our father had told us about was absolutely obscene. I wanted to tell him to shut up, but it would've been pointless. Instead, I smiled and laughed along with everyone else, like the comment was harmless.

"He loved working with science-y stuff, you know." My mother replied.

"I believe it," I murmured.

"Yes…well, I think we've better be on our way, then." May's father said, standing up. Her mother stood as well.

"I agree. It was wonderful to have a reunion with you and your family, Lucille, but tomorrow is Monday!" she told my mother, who stood up and walked to other side of the table to give her a friendly hug. I saw Jacob and May slip out the side door for a good evening kiss. Ally & I cleared away the dishes while the adults talked. May's brother stood off to the side awkwardly, not having anyone to converse with.

Once May and her family had left, things grew very quiet as we settled into our evening routines. We changed into pajamas, took out contacts, removed makeup, washed laundry, and showered; whatever needed to be done in preparation for the next day was done that evening. When I had changed into pajama bottoms & a t-shirt, and had taken off my makeup, I curled up in my bed. Before I had fallen asleep, my mother poked her head in the door of my room.

"Goodnight, girls…tomorrow's your first day of school." She said, slipping her head out the door before we could respond. I looked over at Ally.

"You ready to go back to school?" I asked. She shrugged sarcastically.

"I'm never ready to go back to school," she said, yawning.

"I agree," I replied, laughing. She smiled.

"Good night, Adriana." She told me.

"Good night, Ally,"

**PLEASE REVIEW! I really need your reviews to know how this story is working out. I don't want keep updating this story if nobody is reading, so I think I may discontinue this story. Please let me know your thoughts, because if you don't say anything, then I'm going to assume nobody likes this story.**


	18. Chapter 18

**I am terribly sorry that it took me FOREVER to update! I feel bad about that :( This chapter is a little snoozy until the end, but well worth the time to read. I do want to present an opportunity for YOU, the readers! What's your idea for what should happen next (or at some point) in this story? Leave your ideas in a review, and you may just see it become reality in the story! If I do use your idea, I will most definely credit you for your idea!**

Chapter Eighteen

"Do I look fine? I feel like I look too dressed up for the first day of school." I asked, studying my outfit in the mirror. May and Henry had stopped by before school, and the three of us, along with Ally and Jacob, were going to walk to school. Henry was chatting with Jacob in another room, and May stood on one side of me, Ally on the other. Ally was paying more attention to her own appearance than to mine, so the question was directed more at May.

"Adriana, you look fine," May said, smoothing her straightened hair as she talked. I tugged at a piece of fabric on my shirt, trying to make it look just right.

"I don't know…" I trailed off, looking the outfit up and down in the mirror. I was wearing a raspberry colored shirt with a banded bottom and dark blue crop jeans with a folded cuff. My shoes were my favorite brown ones from a vintage brand called TOMS, which had been popular when my great-great-grandmother was my age, at the beginning of the 21st century.

"Adriana-"

"I think I'm going to change this-"

"No, shut up and turn around and look at your butt. Those pants make your butt look amazing." May said good naturedly, making both Ally & I laugh.

"I guess you're right…I do like this shirt, though." I said, feeling reassured with my choice.

"Come on, let's go already!" Jacob yelled from the next room.

"Hey, guess what?" Ally yelled back.

"What?" Jacob's annoyed voice answered.

"Shut up!" Ally told him. May and I broke out in laughter. A moment later, a hand popped in the doorway with a raised middle finger.

"Right back at you, Jacob," I told him, smoothing my hair.

"Whatever, let's go. Are you guys ready yet?" he asked, poking his head in the door.

"Yeah, let's go." I told him. We left the bedroom and found our things we'd need for the day; mine was a cute cross-body bag that perfectly fit my Plex, an apple, and a bottle of water, color blocked with blue, white, and red. Ally had boldly chose to take nothing but her Plex, while Jacob had (like always) over packed and was bringing along his old school backpack, stuffed with hordes of school supplies. Nobody told him, but he looked like a major dork carrying around his giant pack of stuff like we were at school in Chicago. While the three of us appeared novices at the art of Terra Nova school packing, May and Henry were seasoned professionals; May had her own wonderful purse-style bag, while Henry was rocking a slightly more conventional, stylish neutral-toned plaid knapsack with a fold over flap and a buckled pocket.

"Are you ready?" Henry asked as we entered the main room where he and Jacob were standing, waiting patiently.

"Of course," Ally said, slipping into a pair of sandals. May and I already had our shoes on, and waited by the door with the guys for Ally.

"Let's go, man!" I said, half laughing. Laughing with me, Ally followed us out the door. Once we were outside the house, May and Jacob immediately split apart from the rest of us, while still staying in the group. It was cool in early morning, a light layer of clouds overhead at 9:15 as we walked to school. May and Henry had told us it would only take five minutes to walk to school, and then we'd have another ten before classes started at 9:30 to get our schedules. Since Jacob, Ally, and I were joining the school in mid-May of the school year, we weren't supposed to start any job-related classes. Instead, we would be doing introductory internships over the summer to our chosen career paths so that we would be able to join the proper classes for our grade in the fall. For the rest of the year, we'd just have basic classes all the other high school students had to take; English, math, and science. The science class was more like biology, with us studying native plants animals.

Approaching the high school, a large cluster of smaller buildings with open-air hallways, I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest. It was strange being the new kid at school; my whole life, I'd never once been in that position, as a random kid in a completely different school. I glanced to Henry, who was walking on my right side.

"Is the first day hard?" I asked, a little worry in my voice. He laughed and put his arm around my shoulder in a friendly manner.

"You'll be fine, Adriana. If anyone gives you any trouble, just come find me, okay?" he replied.

"What can you do to stop mean people?" I asked, stopping in my tracks. Everyone else stopped as well, the five us forming a little circle. Henry removed his arm from my shoulder. "Are you one of the _popular _kids or something?" the last part was more mockery than anything. He grinned.

"Actually, yeah, I am. Your buddy May here is the Carnotaurus of the school, and I'm a slasher." He said. It was easily the worst analogy I'd heard in a long time, and definitely one of the stupidest sounding.

"I honestly can't believe you just said that, Henry!" May said from Jacob's side, making me laugh.

"Seriously, though. You're such a dork, Henry!" I said. He laughed.

"Whatever…but honestly, if you have any trouble with anyone, come find May or I. We'll straighten out any trouble makers." He said, reassuring me.

"Seriously, Adriana! You too, Ally…people here are bitches to newbies like you guys. You kind of have to grow a pair for a while when you're new." May told Ally and I.

"What about Jacob?" Ally asked. May smirked.

"He's got me to protect him." She winked to me discreetly. Henry glanced over his shoulder at the school, where twenty or thirty kids our age were milling about in a grassy courtyard. Many were watching our little group with interest.

"Don't worry about Jacob. Just worry about yourself, Adriana." Henry told me.

"Okay…Ally, you and I are gonna watch out for each other, okay?" I said, shouldering my cousin. She gave me a friendly push back, laughing.

"I got your back, cousin!" she said with a grin.

"Now that we've got all that settled, can we go to school already?" Jacob asked, his voice a little bit of a whine.

"Let's go, then!" May said, putting her arm around Jacob. He did the same to her, and they headed off on their own. Henry, Ally, and I watched them approach the other students, their arms around each other. It was the classic movie cliché: the popular kids walk up in slow motion, everyone watching them. The sea of students parted like the Red Sea, and closed behind them. Every eye was on them, and when they were gone, the people turned to the three of us.

"What now?" I asked, glancing at Henry with uncertainty.

"Well, if they're staring at us already, why not give them something to think about?" Henry asked. He was standing between Ally and I, and put one arm around the shoulders of each of us.

"Time to descend into hell," Ally murmured with a sarcastic tone to her voice. Laughing, the three of us went towards our peers. We got the same reaction as May and Jacob's entrance (if not better), with everyone staring in awe. What I believed shocked them the most was that Henry had not one, but _two _newbies with him. Two newbies that definitely weren't _bad _looking.

Henry led us past our gawking classmates to the main office, a small space with two receptionist's desks. He let go of us just before we entered the office. A plump woman sat at one desk, scrolling through information on her Plex. When she heard us enter, she looked up and smiled.

"What do you three need?" she asked, a happy air to her voice.

"Their two came in on the ninth and need their schedules." Henry said, pointing at both Ally and I.

"Ah, very good…what're your names, girls?"

"Adriana Prevot, m'am," I said first. The woman scanned through a database before printing out a paper. When she handed them to me, I saw that the top third of the paper had some information about me printed, along with my three classes and their room numbers. The rest of the page was an easy to read map.

"Ally Harris-Morris," Ally told the woman. She checked the database, her eyebrows furrowing as she searched.

"Is your first name Allyssandra? The closest name I have in the computer is 'Allyssandra Harris-Morris'." She asked. Ally nodded.

"Yup, that's me. I normally go by Ally, though." She told the woman.

"Very well…here's your schedule." She replied, handing Ally her own schedule.

"Thank you," I said as we left the office. Standing outside the door, Ally and I compared our schedules. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we shared two out of three classes. We had English and Math together, but different science courses; Ally's was _Introductory Science_, and mine was _Biology_. It was strange that we had different courses for science, but I wasn't about it complain; I had always been interested in biology and how life worked. On my schedule, I had biology for hour, then English language for an hour, math for an hour, and then lunch for the last half hour of school.

"I'll see you in second period, then." I said to Ally, meeting her slightly worried eyes.

"I'll see you then," she murmured. Smiling, I hugged her quickly. I could tell the hug was comforting to her, and I knew she'd needed it.

"Bye," I whispered, still smiling. She smiled back and turned to go the other way to her class. Watching her go, I turned to Henry, who had been waiting patiently.

"Is the first day hard?" I asked. He shrugged.

"It depends who you are, I guess. It wasn't easy for me, but it'll probably be different for you." he replied.

"Why's that?" I asked. He shrugged again.

"A lot of it is based on your looks…it's stupid. Someone like you will probably fit right in with the more popular crowd. You know what I see in you…and if the guys around here have any sense, they'll see it, too. So don't be surprised…or offended…if anyone hoots at you." Him bringing up his feelings for me made me feel a little embarrassed, but it was comforting to know that I had someone watching out for me.

"Thank you," I told him, reaching up on my tip-toes so I could give him a hug with my arms around his neck instead of his chest.

"You're the best," I told him when I let go. He smiled.

"I'm always here for you…remember that. So…you're good now?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. I'm just going to go to class so I can meet the teacher and stuff." I told him. He nodded in response.

"Cool. I'm going to go hang out with my friends, but I'll see you at lunch, okay?" he replied. I smiled and nodded.

"See you at lunch, then." I breathed. As I turned to leave, I looked back and waved. He smiled and waved back briefly before turning to take care of his own business, whatever that might've been.

Karen Ritterz (pronounced rit-ers) was all of three things: intelligent, quirky, and all together odd. She claimed to have been a model back in 'the day', and her physique proved it. With her curly dark red hair, round face, and ivory skin, she was completely unusual looking. She had a high, sing-song voice, and dressed in feminine military-esque clothing.

"Hi, I just got here on the ninth," I told her. She smiled.

"Wonderful…though, since it is this late in the year, I'm wondering why you're in a biology class. Usually they place those who come towards the end of the school year in Intro Science, not biology. Someone may have placed a recommendation for you to go into this class." She said, her eyes wandering off in thought for a moment.

"Is this class more advanced?" I asked. She nodded.

"Normally it's not for new students, seeing as most don't know much about biology in general…what do you know about biology, hmm?" she asked inquisitively. I smiled.

"Tons, actually. My mom is a doctor, and my dad was a scientist, so there were always lots of medical textbooks and findings reports lying around for my brother and I to read. At my old school in 2149, I was taking three different science classes my sophomore year." I told her proudly.

"So you're a junior?" she asked. I shook my head.

"Nope; I'm a sophomore. I was almost done with my sophomore year when my mom was recruited for the ninth," I replied.

"Very well. This class is made of mostly sophomores and juniors, so you'll probably fit in well here. You sound like your knowledge is pretty extensive, so even though you probably haven't chosen a career path yet, you'll probably be able to keep up with things. Most of the students in this class want to do either something in the medical or science fields, or they want to do agriculture." She told me.

"Interesting…so, uh…where do I sit?" I asked, looking around at the classroom. There was a large lab area that took up about half the room, while the other half was occupied by rows of desks positioned in sets of two so that each person had a partner. In the front of the room, behind the teacher's desk, was a large whiteboard with miscellaneous scribbles and drawings across it.

"Well, let's see…she's got a partner, so no…he doesn't have a partner, but he works better alone…hmm…ah! That's right, he's got an empty seat." She murmured to herself, her eyes scanning the desks.

"So…"

"You can sit right here," she said, pointing to a seat in the middle of the sea of desks. "the one who sits there, he's by himself. He knows his stuff, so he'll keep you on your toes." She said with a hint of laughter.

"Okay," I replied, walking to the seat. Plopping down in the chair, I sat my bag on the desk. I pulled my Plex out, but I wasn't sure if that was what I needed.

"Ms. Ritterz, what supplies do I need for the class?" I asked, looking at my teacher. She glanced up at me.

"Just a Plex, dear. I see you've got one already." She told me before going back to whatever it was she was doing at her desk. Before I could do anything else, a bell rang, and after moment, students began to stream into class. Some glanced over their shoulders at me, others ignored me, and some held their hands up to their mouths as they talked to friends. I thankful that I had worn a little more foundation powder than normal; I could feel a deep blush spreading across my face. I tried my best not to look at anyone, to not make eye contact with these people. It eventually died away as everyone settled into their seats, ignoring me as the chatted idly amongst themselves. As Ms. Ritterz went to the door to shut it, one last person snuck in before the bell rang on him.

"Ah, Mr. Rost…so nice of you to join us for class." The teacher said, welcoming the latecomer. At the sound of the name she called, I felt a shock of relief fill my body. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Henry coolly cruising his way between desks a chill smirk on his face. When our eyes met briefly, he discreetly winked to me. I smiled and turned around, relieved to have a familiar face. Even better was that he slid into the empty seat next to mine. I leaned over and whispered to him out of the corner of my mouth.

"Thank god you're in this class," I murmured, turning my head to him. He looked at me.

"May's over there, you know." He said, nodding his head away from me. Following his direction, I saw my brother's girlfriend, two rows away, twirling her hair as she chatted with a girl with long, dark hair and tan skin. Her eyes flashed to mine for a brief instant before she realized it was me. When realized it _was _me, her face lit up, and she smiled & waved to me. I smiled and waved back. Her friend turned to look at me briefly before turning back to the conversation like I didn't exist. I looked to Henry for an answer, but only got a shrug in response.

"Don't worry, you'll get to talk to her eventually. Just pay attention, and stay on Ritterz' good side." He told me, looking at out teacher, who was evidently waiting for silence. The class eventually quieted down, letting Ritterz begin her lesson.

"Now, class, today we will be continuing our studies on pea plants," she began, "take out your Plexbooks, and read pages 43 through 51. Please take at least one and a half pages of notes." With a collective groan, the students around me took out their Plexes and found their electronic text-er, Plex-books.

"Here, you can read off mine today." Henry said, scooting his Plex a little closer to me so we could both read it. _Welcome back to the wonderful world of school._

"Adriana, you do realize that you, Ally, and Jacob are basically the talk of the school?" May asked from her seat next to me at our lunch table. I shrugged and took a bite out of my grilled fish sandwich. Sitting around the table with us were Ally, Jacob, and Henry.

"I figured after our entrance to the school this morning that we would be the talk of a couple conversations…but I didn't know it was that big of a deal." I replied. Henry snorted from across the table.

"Puh-leeze, Adriana. The people at this school are ridiculous. They worship anyone with power like they're gods. It's pathetic, really." His answer irked me, but I didn't feel like confronting him about it.

"So you're still on top then, May?" Ally asked. May smiled proudly.

"Well, if that's how you want to put it…" she said, smirking.

"Oh, shut up!" I said, playfully swatting her arm. "You've just got the popular gene." My comment made the whole table burst out in laughter for a moment.

"No, you're right; I am on top in this school. This is totally my school." She said, smiling as she ate a large bite of her salad.

"What've they been saying?" I asked May.

"First off, everyone shit bricks to know that I've had a boyfriend the whole time I've been here. I think that's the biggest news. Everyone also knows you're Jacob's sister, and that Ally is his cousin. And you three," she stopped for a brief second, looking at Ally, Henry, and I, "your little entrance to the school has everyone thinking Henry's a pimp or something." Henry and Jacob stood up and high-fived with a whoop of triumphal laughter. May waited for their little moment to be over before continuing. "Some other students who claimed to be fresh out of 2149 asked if they could hang out with me, since they'd seen you guys hanging with us, and they knew you guys are new…not sure how, though. Regardless, I set them straight."

"Are those bad things?" Ally asked. May shrugged.

"It depends on how you look at it. The pimp thing isn't very positive, but I will definitely dispel that stuff tomorrow. I do want to include you in my circle of friends, though. I'll start introducing you guys to them a little at a time, because there's a lot of them."

"Babe, how many friends do you have?" Jacob asked from across the table.

"Oh god, don't get her started!" Henry muttered.

"Oh, let's see…there's Emma, Ashley, Jackie, Marie, Lea, Rebecca, Megan, Gina, Holly, Sarah…uh…" she trailed off in thought. Jacob smiled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"What should we do today after school?" Ally asked, glancing at a large digital clock on the wall in the cafeteria.

"Forty-two!" May burst out. "That's just the close ones. There's probably another thirty or forty I only talk to sometimes." She told us proudly. I smiled and laughed.

"Okay…" Ally said, giggled a little at May's goofy outburst. May shrugged and went back to eating her salad.

"I was going to find Jenna," I told Ally. Henry coughed on his apple juice, spewing a few droplets on the table.

"_Jenna_?" he asked, looking at me like I'd just said something extremely vulgar.

"Yeah, Jenna…you know, Jenna Hausen?" I replied.

"You're kidding me, right?" he asked.

"No, I'm dead serious. She's my friend." I told him. She smacked his hand to his forehead.

"Oh god, why? Why would you do that, Adriana?" his reaction was a complete surprise to me.

"What's wrong with her? She's cool." I asked in response. I knew from Jenna that May wasn't very fond of her (I hadn't yet decided whether that was truthful), but Henry never seemed like the catty type. I expected it from May, but not Henry. He seemed much more down to earth than how he was acting.

"You've got no idea, Adriana. Just…just stay away from her, okay?" he replied. I rolled my eyes.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked.

"I-"

"Just tell me, Henry." I cut in. He sighed.

"Okay, so here's the deal…first off, she has two moms. That's not natural. Secondly, she was adopted. It's not the fact that she's adopted that's weird, but that she acts like she's proud of it or something. It's stupid. But the main thing that is pretty weird about her is that she's…a _lesbian_." The last world fell from his lips with disgust.

"Are you serious?" I asked, appalled at what he was saying.

"Yeah, it's weird. Honestly, Adriana, I bet the only reason she's trying to be your friend is because she wants to do the nasty with you…she's a huge slut. I bet she's screwed every girl in the colony that would let her." he said. May sniggered from her seat next to me. My blood boiling, I reached across the table and, in a fleeting moment of pure anger, struck Henry across the cheek with the palm of my hand. That one strike alone had turned my hand red and stinging, and had left a slightly hand-shaped red mark of Henry's face. There was a stunned silence from everyone at our table. Henry had a bewildered look on his face that morphed into anger.

"What the hell was that for?" he hissed. Our eyes were locked on each other, both staring at the other person with hatred. I picked up my bag, pulled it on over my head, and stood up.

"That was for Jenna…you're not the same cool, chill Henry I met last week. I don't know who this new Henry is, but if you see him, let him know I'm looking for him." My voice was sharp and cold. Icy cold. Breaking my eyes away from his, I left the cafeteria, aiming to go home, even though school didn't technically get out for another fifteen minutes. I was done.

**Don't forget to review and leave any ideas you've got!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Wow, it took me way too long to update. I am very sorry about that. On a more positive note, I'll probably (hopefully) be updating more now. However, I will not have access to a computer for five days next week, so chapter 20 may take a while to get published. Because of that, I am sorry. None the less, I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm thinking that chapter 20 may be rather short because I really want to get to Ally's father's wedding. **

Chapter Nineteen

I was sitting on the front porch of my home, silent tears streaming down my face. There was a slight curb where the cement ended, and the gravel road started, which was where I sat. My knees were tucked up to my chin, and my arms were wrapped around my knees. I had ignored my mother's interrogations when she'd came home from lunch as to what was wrong because I didn't want to damage her already shaky opinion of Henry. I hadn't seen any sight of my friends since I'd left the school. Burying my face in my knees, I thought about Henry.

_Henry turned into a monster. A douche-y monster…and it's only around our classmates. I don't understand it at all. He was such a sweet, funny guy just a few days ago. I don't know what happened to him. He's not the Henry I know. He's a vindictive, stuck up popular who's got his head stuck so far up his own ass that he can't see that what he says is both ignorant and hurtful. The Henry I knew was so cool and relaxed. He seemed so open-minded and liberal and fun. He did crazy stuff like go OTG by himself, even though his dad's in the military. He was a real person, not a real ass._

"Adriana?" a hesitant voice came from in front of me. Shifting my face up to see who was bothering me, I found Jenna, a slightly worried look on her face. With her slightly untamed hair, ballet flats, and girly shirt, she looked like a rich explorer who got lost in the jungle.

"Hi," I mumbled.

"Can I…sit?" she asked. I nodded.

"Go ahead," my voice sounded dull and lifeless. She sat down next to me on the concrete, looking at me with concern.

"Some freshman who was sitting near your table at lunch told me everything that happened." She murmured.

"Does everyone know?" I asked, turning my head to look at her. She nodded slowly.

"Great…it wasn't enough to be hanging out with two of the most 'popular' people in the school on my first day, but now I've gone and slapped one of them…and the cute one at that." I muttered.

"I told you they're no good," she replied. I shrugged.

"I don't get it, though. Just a couple days ago, Henry was one of my only friends. One of my closer friends here. And May, too. She just…just…sat there, laughing to herself, like it was all a big joke to her."

"People change, you know."

"Of course I know that. I knew that from the moment I got here, and I started thinking about it a lot. I always would just sit and ponder whether May remembered Jacob and I, or whether my parents will get back together...I knew it was very, very possible that everything would be completely different. I didn't want to admit it to myself, I guess." I replied, sinking my head back down to my knees and staring off into space again. Jenna nodded slowly.

"It'll all be okay. I promise you, Adriana." My head snapped to her.

"How? I slapped my friend across the face and found out that he hates gay people." I snapped back in a non-aggressive way.

"It's all a test, Adriana." She murmured.

"What?"

"A test," she repeated to me.

"How?"

"It's standard with Henry…I've seen it before with lots of other newcomers. He takes them under his wing… you know, befriends them, and then throws a curveball at them. He finds out something important about them, says something completely contrary to what they value. It's to test your mental stamina, if that's the right word. He's trying to see if you're smart enough to fix the issue and ultimately win. It's how he picks his friends; the ones who can't solve the issue are cast off into the middle class of the social hierarchy. Those who can conquer the issue end up being permanently part of the populars, usually." She explained.

"You're kidding me, right?" I asked, meeting her solid blue gaze. She shook her head.

"Not at all. Not many go through that kind of an experience. I was one of them, you know." She replied.

"What happened?" I asked anxiously. Jenna had piqued my attention with her words.

"When they found out I was a lesbian, Henry slowly began to start acting like a homophobe. It got worse and worse every day until I was to the point where every little thing he said to me was hurtful and homophobic. I eventually just quit communicating with him as a sign that I had no interest in his friendship."

"So he thinks you're mentally weak, then?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Probably. I know that I'm not…in fact, I think I am mentally strong because I ended the friendship on my own terms." She replied.

"Do you hate him?" I asked. She shrugged.

"The things he's said to me are unforgiveable. Though the things he's said are cruel and hurtful, I know that in his heart, he's not homophobic or anything. For that reason alone, I don't hate him. Would I be friends with him again? Honestly, probably not. Unless he gives me a genuine apology, I'll never want his friendship again." She told me.

"When was the last time you talked to him?" I questioned cautiously.

"I think six or seven months ago. I don't remember what it was we talked about, but it was because of something in class…oh, what was it?"

"Uh…"

"Oh!" she said, snapping her finger. "I remember now: in class one day, someone did something funny and we were laughing together about it." She said. _Real helpful._

"What should I do?" I asked, looking at her with worry.

"About what?"

"About Henry…I know you aren't particularly fond of him, but he was my first friend here, and I don't want to lose him. Not mention, I do think he's pretty cute." I said, slightly embarrassed about admitting that to her. It was strange saying who I liked, mostly because I'd been paranoid my entire life about telling people those kind of things. It had always been my biggest fear that I'd tell someone who I like, and they'd go and tell everyone else. Jenna smiled.

"Adriana, you know what?" she asked in response.

"What?"

"I honestly think you should just give him some space…you know, just leave him alone for a couple weeks. Let him sort through the anger I'm sure he feels towards you. Once he's done that, he'll realize that he can't stay away from you. Then just talk to him. Apologize, if that's what you feel is best to do. I think he'll forgive you, Adriana. From the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention, how tenderly he watches you, I can honestly say he's probably got a lot of love for you in that heart of his." Her words stunned me into silence for a few moments before I regained the ability to speak.

"I don't know…it's really complicated." I mumbled, unsure.

"Why?"

"Jenna, do you want to know what he did to me?" I asked. She nodded with a soft smile on her face.

"I do,"

"He…" I hesitated briefly. "he kissed me."

Jenna stared at me, a look of complete and utter disbelief on her face.

"Did he…force the kiss? Like, were you trying to get away from him? Was it a surprise, or was it a mutual thing?" she asked. I glanced around nervously. I felt a little ashamed to be dishing to poor Jenna about how much I liked the guy she detested. Shaking my head, I met her eyes again.

"We were arguing, and then I said something about being fat or something, and he flipped out and was acting all angry while he proclaimed his feelings for me. Before I could even react, he just kissed me." I answered.

"Did you push away from him?" my friend's expressive blue eyes were ocean-sized. I slowly shook my head again, this time keeping my eyes locked on hers. I could feel my lip trembling slightly.

"He was holding my face in his hands, and…it was amazing." The words came out shaking.

"Oh, Adriana…" she said, placing her hand on my shoulder. I felt the tears tumble down over my cheeks as I put my arms around Jenna, looking for the same comfort I'd given her just days before. I felt her arms around me.

"I'm so s-sorry, J-Jenna…I know how much you h-hate H-Henry, a-and I k-know you p-p-probably h-hate having to listen t-to me t-talk about how much I l-like h-him." I babbled between sobs.

"Adriana, it's okay. I promise." She murmured. I looked up at her, sniffling.

"How?"

"Love is love, Adriana. I'm not going to _not _comfort you because the guy you love is just about my least favorite person in the world. You're hurting, and I'm going to be here for you whether he's my friend or not." Her words tripped me up. _Love? I never said I love him. _

"What do you mean about love? I never said I l-love him." I replied, sitting up and taking arms off Jenna. I turned and sat facing her so we could still continue the conversation. She laughed ever so slightly, a smile of amusement crossing her face.

"You don't need to say it for it to be obvious, Adriana." She responded softly.

"I've never even thought about loving him…I've always thought it was just a teenage crush." I murmured. She huffed a little laugh again.

"You don't have to think about it to love him. It's not like you decide one day that you love him, and it's over with; it happens over time."

"I've known Henry for a grand total of five days, Jenna." I said flatly, my cynical sarcasm coming back to me. Jenna laughed.

"I didn't say it had to be a _long _time." She said, making me laugh. I noticed that my tears had long since dried up.

"Thank you, Jenna. You've helped immensely." I said, leaning over to give her a big hug. When she broke apart from my hug after moment, she stood up.

"I've got to get going. I was heading home when I saw you, but I didn't think I'd stay as long as I have. I need to get on home, but I'll see you later, okay?" she told me. I nodded, smiling a little.

"You made me feel a lot better, Jenna. Thank you." I said, standing up as well. I took a few steps towards the front door. Jenna stepped off the porch.

"Well, yeah. I'll see you later. Bye!" she said, waving as she headed on home at a brisk pace. I waved back and headed inside, intent on finishing my homework before Jacob got home. I wasn't sure what he was going to say about what happened at lunch, and I wasn't interested in finding out any time soon.

"Now then, remember this, okay? It is absolutely vital that you continue to house break your puppy." Erin told us as she held one of Gracie's siblings. We had been at her house for about twenty minutes, getting a quick speech about having a dog before we could take Gracie home. It was Friday, the 28th, the day we'd be taking Gracie home.

"How are we supposed to know when she needs to use the bathroom?" Ally asked from her seat next to myself.

"You don't. However, puppies usually have to go to the bathroom every few hours. What I recommend is that you take her out to go to the bathroom twenty to thirty minutes after each meal, and after she wakes up. Puppies tend to do a lot of napping." She replied. Ally nodded, content with her answer.

"What about when she's older?" I asked.

"Once she's older, she'll probably have figured out how to let you know when she needs to go. When they're little, you want to establish a routine for going to the bathroom, because puppies have weak bladders. Once she's older, she'll be able to comprehend the idea of 'holding it'."

"What do you recommend we do during the weekdays while the kids are at school and I'm at work?" my mother asked, holding our napping puppy in her arms.

"Who's the last one to leave the house, usually?" Erin asked in response.

"Usually the kids. They leave for school around 9:15, and I usually leave for the clinic around 8:30." My mother told her, stroking Gracie's back.

"I would say to feed her a little earlier, maybe around seven. After a half hour or so, take her outside and have her try to relieve herself. Make sure that by the time the kids leave that she's gone to the bathroom at least once." She turned to us 'kids'. "This is important: right before you leave for school in the morning, try to get her to go to sleep in her pen. Leave some stuffed animals and a blanket or two for her to sleep with, that way if she wakes up before you're home from school, she'll have the animals there to comfort her when she starts to cry."

"She'll start crying?" I squeaked, a little worried. Erin smiled.

"She'll be fine. It's a coping mechanism puppies use; they'll often cry when they're alone because they want a sibling, or their mom, or someone to be with them. She'll probably stop crying after a few days, though. She'll realize that you'll always come back, and she'll find other things to occupy herself. I recommend getting some toys for her to play with. It'll spare your furniture, hopefully." She replied.

"Haven't they already teethed?" my mother asked.

"Yeah, but still…puppies are mischievous creatures. They'll chew anything they can get their little furry paws on." Erin said.

"When can we take her?" Jacob asked, taking Gracie from our mother.

"It looks like I've told you everything I know about puppies…I gave you that Plexbook, right, Lucille?" she asked, looking to my mother, who nodded in response. "Good. So, Jacob, I think the answer is…well, now!"

"Yay!" Ally said, standing up. Gracie had woken up in Jacob's arms, and had begun to bark like a maniac. I laughed.

"Here's a collar and leash for her," Erin said, fastening a light green collar around the squirming puppy's neck. Jacob, laughing, placed on the floor so she could run wild with her siblings for a little longer before we left. Erin handed the leash to my mother.

"That one," she said, referring to Gracie, "is the crazy one of the group. You'll have no trouble with getting her to play; she's got enough energy for all her siblings and then some!" we laughed.

"I think she'll fit right in with my family. Erin, these kids of mine are the human equivalent of that dog." My mother told her. Erin chuckled.

"Well, I've actually got to get going. I'm sorry to have to kick you out, but was going to see my son at his workplace." Erin told us, slipping on her shoes. I picked up Gracie and brought her to my mother so she could clip the leash to Gracie's collar. Gracie attacked the leash playfully, making us all laugh. My mother placed the puppy on the ground and handed me the leash.

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Erin," I said, shaking her hand. She smiled.

"You're welcome, dear. I'm happy to help re-introduce wonderful animals like dogs." She replied.

"Yeah, thank you, again," my mother replied, "I'm glad that my children will get experience something I never was able to when I was their age."

"Oh, enough with all the thank you! Go on, now! Please leave my home…I really must be off, now." She said, ushering us out her front door. Gracie-oblivious to Erin's urgency for us to leave-yipped at her canine friends inside.

"Come on, girl…you'll be fine." I murmured, leading her onto the gravel road. She found the teensy rocks to be quite amusing, attacking and chasing them while I waited to be joined by my family. When they joined me, they were clearly disturbed by Erin's sudden gruffness to leave. We began the short walk home.

"Don't worry about Erin, you guys…she's harmless, really." I reassured my family. They seemed confident with my advice.

"Some of my coworkers were gossiping about her son," my mother said. "Sounds like he does a lot of work with new plant species."

"Oh, interesting," Ally murmured, feigning interest. Jacob and I mumbled in agreement, trying to keep the dying conversation going, without success. We fell into our family's typical silence pattern; it was a family trait. We could hang out with someone, and when the conversation dies down, we have no problem with the silence that would be otherwise awkward. It was a strange trait, but a good one. The day was beautiful; aqua-blue skies with random wisps of cloud, and a comfortable 67°.

"Oi! We've got a carno! Everyone get the hell inside!" a squeaky male voice shouted from somewhere nearby. My family stopped dead in our tracks, looking at one and other.

"A carno?" Ally asked, a little edge to her voice.

"What the hell ya waiting for? Get inside! This fella's angry, an' we've got injured soldiers!" the voice yelled again, more urgently. Turning around, I saw the voice's owner, a short bald man wearing military garb, standing on a roof. All around us, people were rushing into the nearest homes. We were nearly to our own, maybe a block away. My mother turned to us.

"Take the dog and run home. All of you." she said, ushering us to run.

"What about you, mom?" I asked, hesitating.

"Don't worry about me…I have to go to the clinic. I have to be there for the injured soldiers." She replied. _The clinic's nearly on the other end of the colony!_

"But-"

"Don't argue, just obey me, Adriana. Go…I'll be fine." She ordered me again. I nodded. Scooping up Gracie, I bolted, holding her close to my chest. Ally and Jacob were on either side of me, running with the same urgency as myself. We got to our home within a few seconds and rushed inside, locking the door behind us. Without saying a word, we all went into mine and Ally's room, huddling in the far corner of the room on the right side of my bed. We were quiet for a long time, not daring to say a word or make a sound. Gunshots echoed across the colony three times. We sat in a small circle, Gracie lying in the middle. It was a scary thing to go through; we had no clue if our mother was safe, if the colony was under attack, or if we would be okay. We had been sitting for nearly an hour, and had all but fallen asleep on the floor when there was a sudden, loud banging at our door. We all scattered like cockroaches into hiding places; I grabbed Gracie and hid under my bed (Jacob followed suit and hid under Ally's bed), while Ally dumped out her dirty clothes basket, hopped in it, and buried herself with dirty clothing. Had the situation been less frightening, I would've laughed at her attempt to hide. After a few moments, there was another banging, along with garbled speech outside the front door.

"Dammit!" someone yelled. A second later, there was the sound of breaking wood, and loud footsteps.

"Where the hell are you guys?" a voice shouted urgently. Before we could react, two pairs of footsteps pounded towards our room. The door flew open, bouncing off the wall. I could see were two pairs of tough work shoes.

"Where are the goddamn kids?" One voice said. I relaxed at the sound of the voice, instantly recognizing it as my father's. I cautiously slid my head out from under the bed and looked up at him. Standing next to my father was Ally's father, Max. Both men stared at my head, their expressions a mix of surprise, confusion, and relief.

"Hi," I said, smiling. My dad was speechless, an exasperated look across his face.

"What in the hell are you doing under there?" my uncle asked, his words half surprised laughter.

"Hello," Jacob said, poking his head out from under the opposite bed. The two men standing over us glanced at Jacob, even more surprised and confused.

"Uh, hi, Jacob," my dad murmured, and then looked around the room, "where's Ally?"

"Right here!" Ally said, popping her head out from underneath the pile of clothing. On top her head was a bright pink and green bra. Her father burst out in contagious laughter. Ally quickly pulled the bra off her head and climbed out of the basket. Jacob and I crawled out from underneath the beds.

"What're you guys doing here?" Jacob asked, looking to our father.

"With everything going on at the moment, we weren't sure what had happened to you guys." My father replied.

"What happened, Uncle Alex?" Ally asked.

"There were a couple of carnos that attacked three patrol vehicles a few clicks out. The vehicles were hauling ass to get back to compound, and the damn carnos just wouldn't give up. They chased them all the way up to the fence and damaged the gate. It's stuck halfway up, now." My father told her.

"We think Sixers drove them at the soldiers on purpose." Max added.

"Sixers?" Jacob asked, unsure of what that meant.

"A bunch of morons who came here on the sixth pilgrimage that are hell-bent on bringing this colony down." My father said.

"Oh," Jacob murmured.

"Yeah…uh, where's your mum?" Max asked us. I shook my head.

"When some guy was yelling to get inside and that there were injuries, she had run here. She said she had to go help tend to the wounded. We haven't seen her since." I replied.

"Yeah, she-"

"Shh!" my father said, cutting off Ally suddenly.

"What?" Jacob asked.

"You hear that? Listen." Out father replied. We went silent, trying to detect the unknown sound he was hearing. After a few moments, a faint whining, crying sound became audible. Not a human's cry, but more…animalistic.

"Oh god!" I said, flustered. I dropped to my knees and pulled Gracie out rom under the bed, holding her in my arms. I stood up, holding the trembling puppy.

"What in the…I don't even…how did you…" my father trailed off, extremely confused by the sudden presence of a dog.

"Don't worry, she's our dog." I replied, laughing.

"Jesus Christ, what's the next surprise? Is somebody gonna pop up and announce a pregnancy?" my father said, his brain clearly on overload. I burst into laughter, stroking Gracie's ears.

"No, dad. Nobody's pregnant." He breathed a sigh of pseudo-relief at my comment.

"Whatever…but, uh, yeah…we just wanted to come make sure you guys were okay." My dad muttered, a slight awkwardness to his voice.

"Thank you," I told both of them, "for checking on us. Do either of you know where mom is?"

"Not a clue, sorry. I can't really go looking for her right now. You know, since we decided to wait a while." My dad said.

"I could go check up on her whereabouts. Most likely, she's still at the clinic tending to patients." Max suggested.

"That would be wonderful if you could do that." I said, smiling. He nodded.

"Right, then. If I'm going to do that, then I'd better get -" he stopped mid-sentence as the front door slammed shut.

"Hello? Adriana? Jacob? Ally? Are you guys here?" it was my mother. Our mother who was unknowingly separated by a few inches of papery wood from her husband who she believed to be dead.


	20. Chapter 20

**Wow, uh...sorry for taking almost three weeks to update. I feel really, really, really bad about taking so long to write this chapter. I know that I said in the last chapter that this one would be short, but at the current time, short chapters and I just don't go together. In fact, this one is slightly longer than the others! There is a word of rather strong language, which is completely out-of-the-norm for me to incorporate into my writing (that specific word). I will get to work on trying to write at least a chapter per week, okay? I will do my best to update more often, because the world of TN fanfic deserves to have more writing. (okay, I'm not sure how that makes any sense...)**

**So, leave a review and comment on your thoughts so far! This story very well may go into forty or fifty chapters (I would be pretty proud of that, not gonna lie), so I hope you're enjoying it so far! I am deciding on what the main problem will be within the storyline, but I have narrowed it down to a few things. For now, just enjoy the story of Adriana Prevot and her friends & family.**

**Okay, I'm done talking now...phew!**

Chapter Twenty

"Oh god," my dad hissed, glancing around the room quickly.

"Hello? Uh…Jacob? Was that you?" my mother asked again, her footsteps approaching our door. In a maneuver that took less than three seconds, my father disappeared underneath my bed. Just in time, too, because my mother walked through the doorway just as he hid. My mother spied her older brother standing amongst us, a slight look of surprise crossing her face.

"Hullo, Lucille," Max greeted his sister.

"Uh, hi, Maximum," my mother replied, greeting her brother by his full first name.

"What're you doing home, mom? Shouldn't you be at the clinic?" I asked, stroking Gracie, who was looking around at everyone with slight confusion.

"They sent me home. Told me that they've got more than enough staff on hand, and that I should've been with my kids, seeing as we're still pretty new to this place." She replied.

"Me and…er, I stopped by to check on the kids, cause I figured you were busy with the injured people." My uncle said. My mother nodded.

"Thank you for that, Max. It's nice to know there's somebody other than myself to keep an eye on these kids." My mother replied. Jacob coughed at her comment. Luckily, my mother didn't catch the intentionality of it.

"Now that you're here, though, I think I'm going to head home. Heather's been sick as a dog with a nasty stomach flu, so I've better go take care of her." My uncle proclaimed.

"When do we get to meet her?" Ally asked.

"I bring her by after she feels better…don't want to risk passing it on to any of you guys." He replied, coughing.

"Okay," Ally murmured, visibly disappointed to the delay of a meeting with her future step mother.

"Yeah…well, I've better get going." My uncle said, giving each person a quick hug.

"See you around, Max," my mother said, following him to the door.

"Stay out of trouble, now!" he told us jokingly before heading out into the road. My mother closed the door and headed towards the kitchen, poking through the cupboards.

"Are you guys hungry?" she asked, looking at us as we stood in front of the bedroom door.

"I am," Jacob proclaimed. "I haven't had a thing to eat since lunch."

"…and it's almost nine o'clock. I know it's not really that great of an idea to eat late in the evening, but I think a light dinner is in order." My mother added. "What d'you guys want?"

"Do we have any of that fourteen-grain pasta you bought at the market a couple days ago?" Ally asked.

"Sorry, you teenagers devoured it all. How about some sandwiches? I bought some of that fish you guys like so much. You know, the one that starts with z? Isn't is zift?" she replied.

"I think it's called zisk, and I'll take a sandwich with everything." My brother told my mother. I grimaced. For Jacob, 'everything' consisted of lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, garlic, a slice of apple, sweet potato, mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, pickles, olives, horseradish, ground peppercorn, and vinegar. It was a combination that neither Ally or I could stomach. I'd even caught my mother gag once or twice before when making the sandwich. This time, my mother nodded and looked to my cousin and I.

"What about you guys? Want anything?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry. I think I'm just gonna go to bed." I told my family. My mother nodded and turned to Ally.

"I think I'm going to make a tortilla wrap with some fruit." She said. Not bothering to wait, I headed off to my room, where I changed into a clean pair of pajamas. Finding my toothbrush in the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and washed off my makeup. I wrapped my hair into a comfortable topknot bun on my head. When I was done, I crawled into my bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

I was woken up sometime between two and three in the morning by an unsettled feeling in my stomach. Feeling the urge to use the bathroom, I made my way through the dark house to the bathroom. I shut the door and felt on the wall for the light switch. The instant the bathroom light turned on, my eyes felt the burst of pain normally associated with turning on lights in a dark room. Looking at myself in the mirror, I was shocked to see that the skin on my face had turned chalky white. A few small beads of sweat were forming along my temples.

"Whaa…?" I began, trying to question what was going on, but couldn't formulate the word because my mouth felt like it was full of glue. I turned the faucet on and cupped my hands under the stream of water, letting them fill with a pool of cold water.

Time slowed down all around me. As I brought the water to my face, my hands moved in slow motion. I saw every drop moving slowly towards me, and the moment they splashed against my face, I felt overwhelmingly nauseous, my knees buckling under me. I knew what was about to happen, and crawled to the porcelain toilet, where I vomited up what little food I had in my stomach. I was thankful my hair was in a bun on my head, or I surely would've gotten puke on my hair.

I began to cry at the sick feeling overtaking my whole body. It was a miserable thing, throwing up. I'd always hated it and would try to avoid it at any cost. I felt another wave of sickness coming over me. This time, I unfortunately was unable to reach the toilet in time. The vomit covered the pants and bottom half of the shirt of my pajamas, staining them an unpleasant shade of yellowish-brown. Crying even more, I pulled off my pajama pants and shirt and quickly threw them in the washer, not caring about the settings. I just wanted them to be clean. I could tell that I now smelled terrible, so I made my way back to the bathroom and climbed into the shower. I clumsily removed my underwear and bra, letting them fall to the bottom of the tub as warm water ran down my back freely. I didn't take my hair down, just in case I had another vomiting incident. Trying to elude the foul odor of vomit, I used a pink grapefruit-scented body wash on my arms and legs to wash away the smell of sweat and vomit. After a solid twenty minutes of showering, my head began to clear enough that I felt comfortable going back to my bedroom. I stopped in the kitchen and found a large plastic bowl to keep near my bed in case I felt nauseous again. In my room, I placed the bowl on the floor beside my bed and curled up in a ball, hoping this hell would be over by morning.

It wasn't. I woke up a few hours later and threw up violently, though it was dry vomit because there was nothing left in my stomach. I coughed and retched for a few minutes before passing out (not falling back asleep, passing out…as in, unconscious).

For the next three or four weeks I was harassed by a violent, never-ending sickness. I slept the majority of the time, being awake for only minutes at a time when my family would come to check on me. Everything had a blurred, false sense of reality to it that made it impossible to comprehend what was going on. Every word I heard sounded like a watery, gargled jumble of words. I faintly remember being pricked and poked by needles on occasion, but whether that was hallucinations or reality, I've never been sure. I know that I never once left the bed. Everything was shrouded in a deep blanket of foggy delirium.

Quite some time after falling ill, I remember waking up to who I thought was Henry kneeling by my bedside. Whoever the person was, they were whispering kind words of something-or-other to me while stroking my hair in comforting manner and holding my hand. Had I been less delirious, I would've been blushing, but I mumbled some strange word of thanks that came out more like gibberish than any actual words. Whoever it was chuckled and leaned down, kissing me on the forehead before leaving.

I didn't make my way out the fog until almost a month after first vomiting. Monday, June 16th, to be specific. Five days before my uncle's wedding. When I sat up in the bed, it felt as though every muscle in my body had turned to stone. My hand on my chin, I twisted my neck to the left until I felt a popping sensation similar to cracking one's knuckles. I did it to the right side, and then cracked my actual knuckles. I stretched out my arms and arched my back, feeling immensely better with each passing moment. Standing up, I stretched out my legs by doing a few lunges. Something felt different, but I couldn't place it. I stretched again, arching my back once more. As I did so, my face crossed in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror. I stop my stretch immediately and moved so that I could see my whole body in the mirror. I was wearing a pair of athletic shorts and a pink tank top. I was shocked to see how baggy the tank top was on my body. I walked closer to examine my face. I was amazed at the gauntness my face now had. The angles of my cheeks, nose, and chin were much sharper, and my eyes seemed to big for my head. Having not worn any makeup in almost a month, there wasn't a trace of product on my face, leaving me to feel strikingly bare and (honestly) not all that attractive. Looking at my hair, I saw that it was still in the exact same bun as I had put it in weeks ago. My hair had a greasy, unpleasant look to it, and when I reached down to touch my legs, my (now) chicken legs, I found them covered in a jungle of leg hair. My armpits were no better. Worse, in fact. My whole body was covered in a layer of grimy sweat and oil. I stepped back and looked myself up and down again when I noticed it. _I'm not wearing a bra!_ Gingerly touching my chest, I found that my guess was completely accurate. Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, I rummaged through my drawers for things to bathe. Going into the bathroom, I undressed and quickly got in the shower. After shampooing and conditioning my hair twice, I got out of the shower and noticed my hair still felt unpleasant. I got right back in the shower and did the same thing as before, cleaning my hair for another twenty minutes. When I exited the shower the second time, I was happier with the results. I dried my hair and found that it had grown substantially-at least three inches. I didn't bother to style it any more than drying it. Finding my trusty tub of sugar wax, I heated it in the microwave and waxed my legs. The process was painless in comparison to how my muscles felt from lack of use. Satisfied with how hairless my legs were, I washed the little bits of wax that had gotten stuck to my hands off in the sink and went to my room to get dressed. On the way there, I noticed my mother watching me from her seat at the table, where she was reading something on her Plex and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Hi," I croaked, my voice cracked and underused. My mom smiled softly and walked over to me. She put her arms around me and kissed my head.

"I'm glad to see you're feeling better, sweetheart." She murmured.

"So am I, mom." I replied, before leaving to go into my room. I wasn't surprised to find out that none of my clothing fit me, apart from a normally too-small bra and an scratchy pair of all-lace boy short-style underwear. Even when I tightened my bra as small as I could, there was still a little extra space in the cup. I eyed Ally's dresser for a moment before approaching it. I found a pair of jean shorts and a white button-down shirt with vertical navy pin striping that had folded, ¾ sleeves. It felt slightly odd wearing my cousin's clothing, and having it fit perfectly, when just weeks ago, I would've never been able to wear any of it. I slipped on (my) red t-strap sandals, completing my outfit. I turned to the mirror, where my face was in need of serious damage control. Sitting in front of the mirror with my makeup bag, I applied my makeup how I normally never would; I used visual tricks to make my face appear rounder and fuller. When I had finally applied all my makeup, mascara most importantly, I felt like I was closer to being back to normal. I poured a tall glass of lemonade for myself and made my way outside to the front porch and sat on the porch swing. Outside, it was warm and muggy. I was thankful for the shade our porch had. People went about their business like normal, crunching along down the gravel road without noticing me. That is, until I saw an all-too-familiar red-headed girl wearing a short pink dress walking down the road, right towards my house.

"May," I murmured with a smile when she stepped onto the porch.

"Hey…is it fine if I sit?" she asked, stopping. I nodded.

"Go ahead," I replied. She sat down and faced me, one leg folded under the other.

"How're you feeling?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I don't really feel any different, though I do know I'm a lot skinnier." I replied.

"Do you know how much weight you've lost?" May asked. I shook my head.

"I don't have a clue…c'mon, I'm gonna go weigh myself." I replied, standing. May and I walked into the bathroom, where I pulled the scale out of a cupboard below the sink.

"Wait!" May stopped me just before I stepped on the scale.

"What?" I asked.

"How much did you weigh before?"

"I think I was about 174."

"Okay. Now step on the scale." I smiled and stepped on the scale, watching the digital screen.

"What is it?" May asked after a moment.

"142.5," I said, looking at her.

"Wow, you lost 31 and a half pounds, Adriana." She told me.

"That's more than a pound a day," I replied. She nodded.

"How do you think you look? Like, do you think you look better skinnier?" she asked. I shrugged.

"I'm not really sure. What d'you think?"

"You want my honest opinion?" May asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Well, I think you looked much better at 174." She told me. I looked her in the eyes.

"Really?" I asked, a little shocked. May nodded.

"174 is closer to what your body's natural weight is. Now, I'm sure that you could look very nice at 142.5, but I think the way the weight was lost made your body not look that good." She said.

"I agree. I lost all this weight because I haven't ate in almost a month…right?" I replied. I had hardly any memories from the past month, and eating wasn't involved in any of them.

"The doctors gave you lots of fluids with nutrients, but their purpose was basically to keep you alive. There was no physical way they could get you to eat through your mouth because you were either asleep or unconscious most of the time."

"What d'you suggest I do, then?" I asked.

"About what?" May replied with a question.

"My body,"

"I think…" May began, speaking thoughtfully. "I think that you should just eat how you would normally. It sounds weird, but if I remember correctly, you usually eat pretty healthy. If you've got pretty healthy eating habits, then your body will balance everything out."

"You think I'll just go back to my old weight?" I asked. My friend shrugged.

"More or less…you'll probably be within a few pounds of where you used to be." She replied.

"Where'd you learn all that?"

"I'm studying to be a nurse, so I've had to learn quite a bit about diet and health and the human body. It's really quite interesting."

"Did the doctors tell you that?" I asked.

"I learned all that in my classes at school," she said. _School. I forgot all about school._

"School," I murmured, re-iterating my thought from just moments earlier. "When did school get out for the summer?"

"It hasn't yet. Tomorrow's the last day." _Damn_.

"So I have to go to school tomorrow?" I asked. May smiled and laughed.

"You should talk to Lucille about going to school tomorrow, not me. I think you should go, though. Classes are only fifteen minutes long, and the school is going to show a slideshow of photos from this year. It was really fun last year." she told me. I smiled.

"Fine, I'll go then." I said, putting the scale away.

"What should we do?" May asked when we left the bathroom, and stood in the living area.

"I haven't really gotten to thoroughly explore the whole colony, you know." I told her, subtly hinting that I wanted to be shown around the colony.

"I know this place like the back of my hand!" May said, happy to oblige.

"Let's go!" I said, heading to the door. May followed behind me, ready to lead me on my first outing since before I became ill. It was nice to see things kind of back to normal, like that whole terrible sickness was behind us.

After a long day of exploring (which included trying different new foods at various kiosks and restaurants) , I came home to a large dinner of all my favorite Terra Novan foods. Dragon fruit, zisk kebabs, and a large salad of bright orange carrots, crunchy green lettuce, croutons, & some sort of dressing that tasted remarkable, completely unlike anything I'd before in my life. My brother had been hanging out with Henry all day (they'd apparently grown to be quite good friends during my absence from reality), while Ally had been with her military friend Ryan (she refused to call him her boyfriend). I found out (to my horror) that I had been ill with syncillic fever, a near always deadly disease that had no cure, and that my uncle's fiancée, Heather, had to be revived more than once because she'd had the fever even worse than I did.

The amazing thing was that over the course of the day, I didn't once think of Henry. It was strange how complicated things had became between us. We hadn't really known each other for long before I got sick, and during that time before I was sick, we managed to go OTG, kiss, and get in a fight. Not to mention a lot of casual flirting. Even without Henry, my life had never been that complicated; my 'dead' father lived a few houses away, my uncle was getting married, and two of my friends hated each other. I was thankful there was only one day of school left, because I don't think I could've stood having to sit next to him in class for any longer. What happened at lunch was completely out of character for me, so he'd probably come to believe I was a psychotic bitch.

I went into my bedroom and changed into more comfortable clothing; I wasn't surprised to have found out that Ally's clothing got tighter over the course of the day. I slipped on a flowy red tank top and a stretchy pair of sleep shorts that had an adjustable waist, which I tightened quite a bit so the shorts would fit. Curious to see how much weight I had gained over the course of the day, I went into the bathroom and pulled out the scale again. To my surprise, I found that I now weighed 153 pounds. I'd gained ten and a half pounds over the course of one day.

"Wow," I murmured.

"What?" Ally asked. I'd forgotten to shut the door, and my cousin now stood in the threshold.

"I gained almost eleven pounds today," I said, looking at her. She rose her eyebrows in surprise.

"Wow, that's a lot," she said. "How do you feel about that?" I shrugged, putting the scale away.

"I feel like it's all just gone to my stomach," I told her, meeting her blue-eyed gaze. The fact of the matter was that I felt downright uncomfortable with how I looked. I didn't mind being twenty pounds lighter, but the way my body had distributed the newly gained weight made me feel gross. Before I'd been sick, the fat had been spread out over my body so that my body parts were large, but not fleshy and flabby. Now, however, it appeared that I was in the early stages of pregnancy, because I had a small bump of fat on my stomach. It was because of this that I decided to wear a loose, flowing top.

"It's a food baby!" Ally burst out after a few moments of contemplation. I burst out in laughter, shoving my cousin playfully. She couldn't hold back her own laughter any longer, laughing loudly with me. I was laughing so hard that I began to hiccup, which only made us laugh even more.

"Can you guys shut up in there?" my brother yelled from somewhere else in the house.

"No!" I yelled, my voice half laughter. I left the bathroom, but fell to the wooden floor, unable to control my feet. Ally stood over me, laughing. We continued to laugh and laugh for another fifteen minutes, until we finally managed to calm ourselves.

"What's with all the commotion?" my mother asked, coming in the front door. She had been outside watering our plants.

"Just being weird," Ally said, trying to suppress a giggle. My mother rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Ain't that the truth," Jacob said from across the room, the sentence coming off as sarcastic. He had been reading on his Plex and was clearly bothered by the level of noise we were producing.

"_Isn't_ that the truth," I said, correcting him.

"Fuck you!" he hurled back at me without thinking.

"Jacob! Don't you dare talk like that in this house!" she snapped at him. Our mother was pretty lenient when it came to swearing, but the only time she ever got on our case about our language was when it was disrespectful, sexual, or the f-word.

"Sorry," my brother muttered, retreating into his room. My mother turned to us.

"I want you two to go to bed," she told us.

"But mom, it's-" I began.

"I don't care," she began. "that it is only nine o'clock. You've got a long day tomorrow. After you guys get out of school, you have a few hours of freedom and then you've got to go help your uncle and Heather with some wedding preparations. They need some help transporting decorations to the wedding hall, and I told them that I've got a bunch of teenagers who'll help out."

"Three isn't exactly 'a bunch', mom." I replied, using air quotations.

"I wasn't sure if you were going to be healthy again by the time they needed help, so I invited May and Henry and your friend Jenna. They all seemed eager to help out." My mother's words were so innocent, completely void of any idea how bad of an idea it would be to have those three in the same room, let alone working together.

"Cool," I murmured, playing it safe. She smiled and nodded. Going to the bathroom, I removed my makeup and brushed my teeth. Afterwards, I went into my room, curled into a ball under my blankets, and promptly fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

"Get out of my way!" I snapped at my brother, who stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing his teeth. I had woken up 45 minutes late, and I was hurrying to get ready. I'd done my makeup and gotten dressed, but I needed to fix my hair and brush my own teeth. He took a step back and allowed me to get in the mirror with my hairbrush, where I tugged at snarls of light blonde hair. Instead of using a flat iron, I found my bottle straightening spray in my bedside table drawer. I misted it all over my hair and yanked my brush through my hair again. I ran back to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, my brother having since finished. I brushed them quickly and then sped back to my room and slipped on a pair of fake leather t-strap sandals. I was wearing my own clothing today: my favorite cropped leggings, a flowy blue tunic, and a belt that sat high on my waist that matched my shoes.

"Adriana, are you ready? It's already 9:23!" Ally's voice came from the front door where she was waiting for me.

"I'm ready," I said, meeting her at the door. "Jacob?"

"Don't wait up," he called from his rooming. Rolling my eyes, I opened the front door.

"Whatever, let's just leave him." I said, meeting my cousin's concerned expression. She nodded.

"We've got to hurry, then." She told me, stepping off the porch. I followed suit, and we hurried off down the road towards the school that I'd only been to once before.

Walking into first period, biology, I was caught off guard at the sight of Henry sitting in his seat next to mine. I'd forgotten all about him. It felt incredibly uncomfortable sliding into my seat next to him, seeing as the last time I'd seen him, I'd slapped him. For a while, I stared at the board, hoping the teacher would start class soon. I'd forgotten the names of all my teachers, but I didn't really care.

"It's good to see you're feeling better," a familiar voice said from next to me after a while. I turned to its owner, and met its owner's chocolate-brown eyes. They were eyes that I realized I had missed dearly. They held a look of longing and some kind of sadness.

"Thanks," I murmured. "It feels good to be back." He smiled.

"How have you been?" his tone sounded more like we were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years, and ran into each other one day at the supermarket; a little obligated and deflated. I shrugged.

"Things have been better," I replied cryptically. I watched as his pupils dilated for a moment before returning to normal.

"At least it's the last day of school," he said, replying with his own cryptic message. I broke our eye contact and looked at the wall.

"Yeah…uh, how have you been?" I asked, feeling rather strange for asking him that.

"I told my parents that I didn't want to be in the military, and they were surprisingly supportive." He told me. I smiled, genuinely happy for him.

"That's awesome!" I said. He nodded.

"I feel so relived for telling them…it felt like I was coming out of the closet." I met his eyes again, and I knew that he knew he'd hit a chord inside me.

"…yeah…" I managed to say before breaking eye contact, not wanting to talk about such a touchy subject around other people. I angled my body away from him slightly, ignoring him for the rest of class.

Jenna sat on right, Ally to my left. May sat on the other side of Ally, separated from Jenna. We were in the school's (very) small gymnasium, sitting on the floor, with the rest of our peers for the end of the year slideshow. There was a buzz in the air as students talked and laughed while waiting for the slideshow to begin. A projector had been set up on the floor in front of the students, and was projecting a white screen with script spelling out _Terra Nova High School, Year 7_

"Why's it say year seven?" I asked Jenna.

"Because this is the seventh year the school's been open. It's easier to start at zero than to say eighty-five million, two-hundred and forty-three thousand and one or whatever year it technically is." She replied.

"Oh," I murmured. May reached across Ally's lap to tap my leg. I turned my head towards her.

"This year's slideshow is going to be really good, Adriana," she told me. I laughed for a moment.

"Okay, May. I'll trust your judgment." When I turned back to Jenna, she was rolling her eyes sarcastically.

"What?" I asked, smiling. Jenna rolled her eyes again in response. I realized she was rolling her eyes at my interaction with May.

"Oh, shut up!" I said playfully. "Hey, you never know; someday you guys might be friends." Jenna let out a laugh of amusement, like I had just told her a joke.

"Fat chance," she muttered, making me laugh.

"Whatever, you kn-" I was cutoff by shushes as the lights dimmed, signaling the beginning of the slideshow. I turned to the screen and focused on the slideshow.

The slideshow lasted exactly seventeen minutes, and had four songs playing on the soundtrack. May was present in the majority of the photos (which in some naïve way surprised me), from sports shots, to assemblies, and candid photos throughout the school. Jenna and Henry were in photos, too. Even Ally and Jacob were in a few photos towards the end of the slideshow.

It wasn't until there were about two minutes left that I _really_ started paying attention. I had been spacing out-staring at the walls, really- until Jenna elbowed me to look at the screen. Similar to the opening title slide, this slide had a black background and white writing. _Recently, an outbreak of syncillic fever nearly brought down one of our own. She is strong, and beat the disease._

What happened after that stunned me. The first photo was of five teenagers kneeling around a bed, where a sickly, pale girl with blonde hair appeared to be sleeping. There was a blonde girl, a light brown-haired girl, and a ginger girl, along with a chocolate brown-haired boy and a dark-blonde boy. I recognized the blonde girl lying in the bed…I'd seen her this morning in the mirror while brushing my teeth.

**PLEASE leave a review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Yay! Only two weeks to update this chapter. I'm getting better at it! I hope there are at least SOME readers out there. If you're one of the few who has enjoyed this story, know that I am NOT giving up on this story! I know it takes me a while to get an update, but hey, wouldn't you rather have _quality _over _quantity_?**

**Enjoy...this chapter is wonderful :)**

Chapter 21

Before I could process what was happening, the photo changed again. The next was of my mother and brother standing over my bed, Jacob's arm around our mother. My mother's eyes were watery and slightly red; she had likely been crying for quite some time. I looked at each of my three friends, though none of them appeared the slightest bit surprised. _They were all in on it._

The photos told a story; there were visits from doctors sprinkled between shots of me sleeping, my friends & family watching over me, and various medical devices, such as the clear IV bag of liquid that hung from a metal hook over my bed. It was a little stunning; I'd never expected anyone to take a sickness this seriously. The music playing was an excerpt from an ancient song from 2011; its name was _"A Thousand Years"_, and was by an artist who was moderately famous at the time named Christina Perri, according to the title slide for my section of the slideshow. I had never heard it before, but it was a beautiful, sad song. The lyrics were all about how she'd loved someone for a thousand years and how she'd love them for a thousand more…really quite beautiful. It was the last two photos that really struck me as incredible. The second-to last was a shot of Henry sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands wrapped around my right hand. The focus was on him and our hands, with a profile of my face in foreground blurred out. The final photo came as the song was fading away as the singer spoke _I have died every day, waiting for you…darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years, and I'll love you for a thousand years… _to music; the screen was overtaken by an image of Henry kissing my forehead, his eyes closed, while my eyes and mouth were partially open. My eyes weren't focused on anything in particular, and my mouth was as though I were taking a breath. _So it was Henry who was holding my hand that time when I woke up._

I slowly turned my head around to the rest of the students, searching the sea of mostly unfamiliar faces for a familiar face. I found him off to the left, towards the back of the group. He was looking right at me. I smiled softly, mouthing _thank you_ to him. He smiled back and nodded. Turning back to the screen, I found that it had gone dark. The principal, a tall, harsh-looking woman, stood with her hands folded behind her back.

"Students, congratulations on another year well done. Please try to stay out of trouble this summer, and I will see you in September. Now…get out of here! You're on summer break!" she said, smiling at the last few words. As she motioned to leave, a song from the 1970s entitled 'School's Out' began to blare over the speakers. In a giant rush, everyone began yelling and hooting with joy as we all hurried to leave the school. Not wanting to lose my cousin in the crowd, I held onto Ally's arm. After a moment, I felt Jenna's hand on my shoulder so we wouldn't get separated. We followed the throng of kids out of the school, eager to start our summer.

"I can't believe they had a whole section of the slideshow dedicated to me," I told my friends as we sat around a small table, enjoying frozen yogurt from the only place to get frozen yogurt in all of Terra Nova. Jenna and May sat on opposite sides of the table, and had come to a silent mutual agreement to ignore each other for my sake. Ally and I sat opposite of each other, so one of us sat between both Jenna and May.

"I think it was very kind of them," Ally said.

"I hope there wasn't anyone else from school who was sick…that would look really bad if they made a big deal about one person but not another, you know?" Jenna added.

"Yeah," I murmured in agreement.

"What have you guys got planned for this summer?" I asked after a while of silence.

"I'm working at the day camp for kids that's being held at the learning center. They needed some staff to help out, and I'm getting paid for it." May said.

"I think I'm going to learn how to kick box. Ryan told me that one of his friends is teaching a summer class." Ally reported. Jenna shrugged.

"Honestly, probably nothing. I might work on my soccer a little." She told us.

"What about you, Adriana?" May asked. I shrugged as well.

"I have to decide what to do for my summer internship…and once I decide, I'm probably going to be busy with that." I replied.

"What d'you want to do?" Jenna asked.

"I don't have a clue. I feel like it's too huge of a commitment to decide what I want to do with my life when I'm only fifteen. I mean, obviously I have to start thinking about what I want to do, but once I choose a career, I'm stuck with it." I replied. May shook her head.

"If whatever you choose doesn't work, you can change it. Like, I was studying to become one of Terra Nova's geologists, because I'd always thought that was so interesting. That is, until I actually started taking the classes, and I found it incredibly boring. So I did an introductory internship for a few weeks at the clinic and fell in love with the medical field. I'm studying to become a nurse." May told me.

"And you can basically do anything you want. It's not like they have a set number of jobs; you to choose whatever you want…look at me, for example: I want to coach the soccer team, so I'm taking some sports medicine classes, some psychology classes, and leadership classes. For my internship, I work with younger kids on the elementary school's team and I do a lot of volunteering." Jenna added. I scooped up a spoonful of light pink strawberry fro-yo and let it melt in my mouth as I considered everything my friends had told me.

"I'm not going to worry about it until after my birthday. I know it doesn't really matter this early on, so I'm not gonna stress over it."

"You're birthday is a month away, Adriana…it's smack in the middle of the summer." May said flatly. I shrugged.

"Oh well," I murmured. May shrugged and we continued to eat our fro-yo in silence.

"Adriana, this is Heather…Heather, this is my niece, Adriana. She's Lucille's daughter." My uncle said, introducing me to his fiancée as we stood inside their home with Ally, Jacob, May, Jenna, and Henry. We had all just arrived and had gone through introductions, apart from Ally, who'd met her future stepmother when I was ill. My uncle's fiancée was very tall, slender, and, essentially, flawless. Her skin was fair and looked as smooth as a baby's bottom, having obviously been impeccably cared for. Her wavy strawberry-blonde hair fell to mid-bicep, and looked very nice alongside her misty blue-green eyes.

"I've heard many fine things about you, Adriana," her voice was soft, yet strong at the same time. I could tell from the strength in her voice that she had seen some pretty tough things during her lifetime.

"I'm glad you're coming into our family," I replied. It felt slightly clichéd and not genuine to say such things when I'd barely met her, but I was trying to be polite, and she seemed nice enough.

"We're glad to see you're feeling better," my uncle interjected, "but let's get to work."

"Right," Heather said. "Can you nice young men please start out by carrying those heavier boxes? Max will help, but they're kind of heavy boxes, mind you." she spoke to Henry and Jacob, pointing to large clear boxes filled with spoons, knives, forks, plates, bowls, cups, and glasses encased in layers of bubble wrap. The guys nodded and set to work. Heather turned to us.

"While they're doing that, I would like if you ladies could help me with carrying over decorations. They're all out in the backyard." She told us. We followed Heather to the back door.

Outside in the backyard, there was a neat pile of wooden torches lying in the grass alongside circular glass containers. Each torch was about two feet tall, and had flat, wide bottom. The containers were about two feet in diameter, and about eight inches tall.

"The torches are going be lit and sitting on each glass tank. The tanks are going to be full of water and will have small fish in them, and together, the whole thing will be a centerpiece on each table." Heather told us. "Be careful with the tanks…they were pretty expensive!" she added jokingly. We all got to work, carrying two or three tanks at a time to the wedding hall, which was (thankfully) only a few blocks away from my uncle's house. We worked hard, and ended up moving everything for the wedding to the hall, even what my uncle and Heather hadn't planned on having us move on that occasion. To say that our help was appreciated was an understatement.

"One-fifty-seven and a half. All day today, I've only gained four and a half pounds." I said quietly, meeting my cousin's eyes. We were each lying in our own beds, the room dark around us apart from an abundance of moonlight streaming in the window. It was nearly 10:30 at night, and we had only just gone into our room for the night. The evening was warm and muggy, both of us wearing shorts with our blankets on the floor. My cousin had her hair pulled up in topknot

"That's been fifteen pounds you've gained back in two days," my cousin murmured in response.

"Almost half of what I lost," I replied.

"I think your food baby is shrinking," Ally replied with a stifled giggle. I smiled in the darkness, glad to have my best friend here with me.

"That's welcome news," I murmured.

"Yeah…um, I'm really tired; I think I'm gonna go to sleep." My cousin told me after a few moments of silence.

"Me too," I replied.

"Goodnight,"

"Night," I rolled over onto my stomach and propped up my arm on my pillow for my head to rest on, the way I preferred to sleep. I didn't fall asleep for nearly an hour after, but when I finally fell into a slumber, I was greeted by sweet dreams.

"Your dress is so pretty!" Jenna told me, admiring the dress I'd chosen to wear to my uncle's wedding. The ceremony was at four, and it was now three-thirty. Jenna, Ally, May and I had all converged my home to get ready for the wedding. We'd spent nearly three hours getting ready between the four of us, chatting and laughing as we went along. Even May and Jenna managed to speak a few kind words to each other. At the moment, we were drooling over each other's outfit of choice for the wedding after getting dressed. May wore a vintage-inspired strapless green dress with a high-low hemline and low nude wedges, her hair straightened for the special occasion. The green complimented her red hair well. Ally wore a shimmery, dark-purple strapless gown that showed off just enough of her purple-polished toenails and brown peep-toe pumps, her hair curled into a half up-do. She was dressed the most exquisitely of us all, being her dad's wedding day, with a diamond necklace and earrings my mother loaned to her. Jenna had dressed in a just-above-the-knee floral dress with one shoulder and wedges with her hair straight to show off her new blunt bangs. I wore a strapless maxi dress that had an upward-pointing chevron pattern of navy, ivory, mustard, dark orange, and dark red, my hair in 'beachy' waves. In the days since coming out of my sickness, I'd managed to gain back all 31 pounds, though a few weeks of solid workouts would be needed to tone my curves.

"We look awesome," Ally proclaimed, adjusting the bodice of her dress in our bedroom mirror.

"We do," I reiterated.

"We should probably leave now," Jenna said from her seat on the end of Ally's bed, her legs crossed. "your dad said photos were at three-forty-five, and it'll take us at least fifteen minutes to walk there with our shoes on."

"Good point," May replied, standing up from her spot in a chair we'd brought into the bedroom from the dining table. "We should leave now."

"I agree," I murmured. We made our way into the living area, where Jacob was sitting on one of the couches, reading on his Plex. He had dressed in dark slacks, dark shoes, a white button-down shirt, and a dark tie. He had clearly been ready for quite some time and was evidently bored.

"Jesus, took you guys long enough," her muttered as we entered the room.

"Oh shut up, Jacob. If you were a girl, you'd have taken just as long as we did." I retorted. He snorted in amusement, like what I'd said was preposterous.

"Whatever," he said, going back to his reading.

"Well, whaddaya think? Do you like my bridesmaid ensemble? Heather picked out the exact same thing for all of us." my mother's voice came from the door of her bedroom. We all turned to see her dressed in a muted red, orange, green, blue, and purple dress that came to an inch or two above the ground, showing off simple closed-toe brown heels. Her hair was smooth and straight, a sleeker look than her normal wavy curls. With her heels, she was only two or three inches shorter than I was. She looked _so _gorgeous, but in an understated way, as not to overshadow the bride. Heather had done well in choosing the dresses to go along with the whole tropical theme they'd decided on.

"You look beautiful, mom," I told her.

"You really do, Lucille," May agreed. My mother held her hand to her heart.

"Thank you. I was a little worried about the dress, because I know brides are notorious for making the bridesmaids look like jackasses so they won't upstage the bride." She said, giggling. We all laughed along for a moment before my mother looked at the door.

"We'd better get going then," she murmured. "Jacob, let's go!" My brother slunk out of his room wearing a different tie. This one was red.

"Jesus, what took you so long to get ready?" I said in mockery. He rolled his eyes.

"Stop being such a prick," he snapped.

"Stop being so rude to your sister," my mother ordered. Out of the corner of my eye I saw May smirking with amusement. My mother turned on her heel and marched to the door, a gaggle of well-dressed teenagers following her.

In the street, we found it nearly impossible to walk. Jacob, being the chivalrous boyfriend he was, carried May. After about thirty yards, I gave up and pulled my own shoes (ivory colored wedges) off my feet and walked through the gravel. It wasn't terribly uncomfortable underfoot; the small rock pebbles were mostly round, rather than sharp and dangerous. Both my cousin, mother, and Jenna followed suit. It took the entire fifteen minutes to walk to the hall, and we arrived right at 3:45.

My uncle and Heather had arranged it so that guests would come by before the ceremony for photos. _Max and Heather want to have perfect photos of all their guests to keep in their wedding album, _my mother had told me. A small area had been set up outside the wedding hall where the ceremony and reception would be taking place, the backdrop of the guests' photos being flowers and plant life.

"Okay, now, squish together like you actually like each other!" the photographer instructed us when our turn came after waiting in line for about ten minutes, an edge of sarcasm to his voice. Jacob and May had their arms around the other's waist, while Jenna, Ally, my mother and I put our arms around each other's shoulders.

"One…two…three…smile!" the photographer clicked a couple shots and handed us a print out of them from a small machine sitting on the table alongside his computer.

"Thanks," my mother told him, storing the photos in her small purse. We made our way inside and were greeted by butlers holding trays of sparkling cider for guests. We each took one of the slim clear glasses to be polite.

"To Uncle Max and Heather," I said, holding my glass up for a toast. My family and friends held their glasses to mine in toast. We followed the signs into the ceremony room, and found our places in the first row of seats, seeing as we were family (May was basically family already, and Jenna had came alone, so she sat beside me). My mother left to be in place for the bridal party procession, Ally following after her. The room was circular and had ceiling-to-floor windows all the way around. It was on the second floor of the building with a beautiful view of the whole colony bathed in a warm, late-afternoon glow. We were some of the last people to arrive. There had to have been at least two-hundred guests, which was a significant percentage of the colony. Even the hard-ass Commander Nathaniel Taylor was in attendance, seated in the last row alongside Lieutenant Washington. Both were dressed for the occasion. In the very back of the room, partially obscured behind a tall fern in the shadows, a tuxedo-wearing man with blonde hair and blue eyes stood to enjoy the ceremony. He was behind the fern to stay hidden, though he should've been up at the altar as the best man. It was unfortunate that he was unable to take part in his BIL's wedding, but it was necessary to maintain order. My uncle stood at the altar, his back turned away from the aisle so he wouldn't see Heather until she was standing right next to him.

A soft jazz piece began to play as the bridal party began to file down the aisle in twos: one bridesmaid and one groomsmen. My mother came first, alongside a man the same height as her. As they reached the end of the aisle, the split to their respective sides. I noticed as the bridal party split off to each side, the height of the groomsmen and bridesmaids increased. They were organized by height, sloping up in a visual line. When the last pair had split apart at the aisle, there was a moment of anticipation for the bride to appear. Instead of the bride appearing, it was Ally who made the final walk down the aisle. When she came to her father, she hugged him and kissed his cheek before standing to the left of my mother, who was the closest maid to the altar. It was a nice contrast to see Ally's solid-colored dress next to the mish-mash of colors in the bridesmaids' dresses. There was an absence of music for a moment, and then the traditional wedding march began to play.

Everyone stood for Heather as she entered through double doors. She wore a strapless, ivory-colored lace mermaid dress. She walked in alone, and stood at the end of the aisle for a moment before proceeding down the aisle at an appropriately slow pace. When she reached the end of the aisle, she handed her bouquet to Ally, and took my uncle's hand. They turned to face each other, holding both of each other's hands.

"Dearly beloveds, we are gathered here on this beautiful evening to join in the celebration of the marriage of Heather Vivienne Trevll and Maximum Eric Harris…" I tuned out a little, distracted by the dotted tiles on the ceiling and bored by the same old wedding words you heard at every wedding.

"Max, for the first time, you may kiss your wife," the wedding officiator told my uncle. He turned to Heather, took her face in his hands, and kissed her sweetly. When their kiss ended, they turned to the audience and a roar of cheers and applause. Jacob and I hollered from our seats, clapping and yelling with everyone else.

Everyone was led downstairs to the reception hall, a large (also circular) room with a tall ceiling and an abundance of tropical flowers. Flitting around were bow-tie-wearing waiters toting silver trays of hors d'oeuvres for guests to enjoy. Set around a circular dance floor were circular tables with the familiar glass tank centerpieces. Each table had different fish in their tank and bright tropical flowers in the vases. Large sashes were tied to the back support of each chair, each being a different color from the others at the table. We found a table and took a seat, admiring the décor of the room. Fine china and silverware were arranged alongside crystal glasses and tropical cloth napkins. Adding to the atmosphere, light, beachy music was playing through speakers.

"This is so beautiful," I murmured, thinking out loud more than to my friends and family, who murmured in agreement. A handsome waiter came to our table, offering us roasted tomatoes filled with zift and topped with parmesan cheese and olive oil.

"Should we look for mom?" Jacob asked.

"No, she can find us." I replied. Turning to Jenna, I was surprised to see that she and May were busy chatting.

"Are you happy for your dad?" I said, turning to Ally. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm really happy for both my dad and Heather…she's really nice and smart and mature and honest and…oh, I could go on!" she gushed, blushing a little. I smiled.

"That's great…they seem like they're perfect for each other." I replied. My mother slid into the chair next to Ally, having finally managed to find her way to us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to present to you the new couple, Heather and Max Harris!" an announcer boomed through the speakers before my mother could speak. The doors we'd entered through opened and the newlyweds came marching in, smiling and waving to their friends and family. All the guests erupted into applause and shouts as they made their way to the center of the empty dance floor for their first dance. The lights dimmed, and a spotlight came down on them, following them as they slowly swayed across the wooden floor, deep in marital bliss.

In my hand I held a cherry limeade in a martini glass. A small slice of lime that had had the juices squeezed out of it rested in the bottom of the drink, and crystallized sugar went around the rim of the glass. It was nearly 9:30, five and a half hours after the wedding ceremony. The sun was almost completely down behind the hills, leaving nearly all light to come from the strategically placed lanterns and hanging ceiling lights around the room. Though most people were still in attendance, I was tired and full, and had promised myself one final limeade before I left. Making my way to the table my family and friends had been sitting at, I found myself alone; everyone at the table was either dancing or eating or drinking or talking. Shrugging I slid into my seat and crossed my legs, content with watching everyone all around me. The music had turned to a soft, romantic tune as my uncle (and _aunt_) took to the floor for a dance. Enjoying the quiet nature of the song, I found myself zoning out and not noticing the approaching figure.

"Hey," he said, a slight caution to his voice as he slid into a chair next to mine. I met his eyes and smiled softly.

"Henry," I murmured. He was dressed in a smart black-tie suit, his blondish-brown hair slightly messy as usual. In his hand was a wine glass full of clear liquid and ice. Water, I presumed.

"Have you been enjoying the party?" he asked, sipping his water. I nodded.

"The music isn't that great for dancing," I replied, giggling. He flashed a brief smile of amusement.

"It's really not," he replied.

"Everything that's happened lately has been crazy," I said, subtly trying to change the subject.

"Um, yeah..." he murmured. "I think we should talk."

"About what?"

"Um, what's happened between us,"

"Do you think now is the best time to talk about something like that?" I questioned. I wasn't opposed to it, but I didn't want Henry to make himself feel worse about where our friendship was.

"Yeah, I do,"

"Okay,"

"Fine," I didn't want to be the one to start the conversation.

"I miss you…er, I miss talking to you and laughing with you and hanging out with you." I was a little surprised by how straight-forward he was right off the bat.

"You…do?"

"We used to talk so much and were in contact so much and it was really fun,"

"I…I…" I was at a loss for words.

"…and I don't want to lose that great relationship we had because of something stupid." That snapped my mind back into reality.

"How can you say that acting _homophobic _towards one of my friends is something stupid?" he blushed a little.

"Well…I wasn't really…"

"Wasn't really _what_? Trying to be a homophobe? Pardon my French, but that's a load of shit, Henry."

"I wasn't being a homophobe," he muttered under his breath.

"You sure as hell seem like you were." I snapped back.

"Adriana, I'm not a homophobe,"

"Why should I believe that?"

"It's what I do; it's my way of finding friends. It's a test." He answered. _Ah, I forgot all about your sweet little test._

"Don't even _try _to use your test as an excuse for how you acted, Henry." My voice was ice. "Jenna told me all about your stupid test. Did you really think that acting like a gay-basher in front of the girl you _obviously _like just to see how mentally tough she can be is a great idea? _Oh yeah, she's friends with the heartbroken lonely lesbian girl, so I should act like a total dick to the lesbian to get my crush to be my friend._" I finished, mocking his potential thought process. He looked at the floor, clearly feeling ashamed.

"I…I just wanted to see-"

"See what? How I'd react?" I cut in. He shook his head, taking a drink from his glass. I sipped my limeade.

"Then what was it you wanted to see? Me without a shirt?" had the situation been less serious, he would've laughed at the comment. He looked up at me, his grave eyes meeting my own livid ones.

"I wanted to see where your heart lies and how loyal of a person you are." He said, no emotion in his voice.

"What?"

"You seemed too perfect, like your friendliness and coolness was all to hide some sort of defect you wanted nobody to know about. You know how a lot of people at school are? They're fake. Fake as hell. I'm mean for the love of god, they're friends with somebody one moment and talking shit about them the next. I didn't want to be burned by _another _person like that. I just wanted to find someone wholly real." He told me, sitting up. To my surprise, my eyebrows relaxed. I hadn't realized they'd been tensed up.

"But…but why did you have to attack Jenna?" I asked.

"I was being stupid. I don't know what I was thinking when I said those things. I feel really bad about saying those things. I have since the moment you slapped me. I regret saying those things…a-a lot." He told me. His last words trembled a little. In the dim lighting, I could see that his lower lip was pursed a little, evidence of the trembling words. His eyes were down at the floor,

"I never realized you felt so bad about everything, Henry," I murmured, taking his hand to comfort him. He looked at me.

"I'm really, really sorry, Adriana," he replied, his eyes full of pure anguish. I used a cloth napkin to dab a the forming tears in his eyes.

"It's okay, Henry…I believe you." I murmured, stroking my thumb over the top of the hand he held. He broke his hand away from mine and stood up.

"Hug?" he asked, holding his arms open. I smiled and stood up.

"Hug," I reiterated, going into his embrace. We just stood there for quite some time, silently hugging and listening to the soft music playing. I had to reach my hand up to my eyes the clear away tears more than once. When we finally ended the hug, I held onto his left hand with my right.

"So we're fine now?" he asked. I smiled.

"Better than fine," I told him. At that moment, I realized every emotion I'd ever had towards him. In my head, every interaction, every word, every smile made sense suddenly, and I knew where I was and where my heart was. I couldn't hold back my feelings any longer. I sprung forward and kissed him, quickly wrapping my arms around his neck. After the initial surprise of my kiss, he put his arms around my waist, and held me tight, kissing me sweetly. It was the best kiss ever, and it was perfect, because we now knew that we both had immense feelings for each other. It was _perfect. _

**I'm glad to have finally gotten to this point in the story! (And I'm sure you were too) **

**Could you do me a favor and give me your thoughts on this chapter (and the story so far)? I really love reading your reviews because they are so wonderful and they really inspire me to do better at my writing! **


	22. Chapter 22

**Here you go, finished and edited just for YOU, the reader! I am doing my best to try to update as often as I humanly can, but the phrase "quality over quantity" often comes to mind. I was very excited to write this chapter and FINALLY get to explore this new Adriana/Henry romance. I hope you'll forgive that I am the slowest updater ever, but if it makes you feel better, I put a LOT of thought into every part of the story. I'm constantly changing the way things are worded, looking for errors & typos, and trying to make my writing as clean and polished as I possibly can. I a big perfectionist, especially with my writing. Without further adieu, I'll shut up and let you read!**

**WAIT! Actually, one other thing: I will have zero access to a computer to write from the 19th through the 30th of August (plus, I go back to school on the 31st, so I will become very busy again, which may cause further delay). So, in advance, I am warning you guys that the next update may be quite a while if I am unable to finish another chapter in the next week (with my update record, I'd say it's pretty unlikely). So please understand that I am not abandoning you guys (I love you too much for that!); I will simply be delayed in updating.**

**Whew, now I'm done.**

Chapter Twenty-Two

"I think we should leave," Henry murmured, meeting my eyes when the kiss was over. My heart was beating wildly; I could not believe what I'd just done. I smiled and nodded.

"Let's," I replied. Holding my hand securely, Henry led me along the wall –in the shadows, where we couldn't be seen, mind you- to the doors. We slipped out past a few drunken party guests and quietly navigated away from the building. Henry put his arm around my bare shoulders, the air growing a little chilly as night descended upon us. We walked quietly towards my house, content with not saying much and merely enjoying each other's company.

I was glad to see the porch light was off at my house as we slid onto the swinging bench that hung from the ceiling. The sun had gone down completely, and we were invisible to the average passerby from our place on the dark porch. I rested my head on Henry's shoulder and held his hand.

"It's a nice evening," Henry said quietly after a little while. He was pushing the bench back and forth just a little.

"It is," I replied, my voice full of content.

"It's nice being here with you,"

"It is," I replied, smiling.

"You know what I realized?"

"What?"

"I make a lot of bad choices," he told me. I sat up and met his eyes.

"What d'you mean?"

"I dunno…I just say and do stupid stuff all the time."

"Am I a bad choice?" I asked. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"Of course not…you're one of my few good choices. How I got to this place with you consisted of a lot of bad choices, but I don't regret them. If I hadn't made those choices, I wouldn't be here now."

"Oh," I murmured, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah,"

"Henry?" I said after a moment of silence, looking at him.

"What?"

"I think I've decided who my boyfriend is," I replied. He smiled.

"Did you make a good choice or a bad choice?"

"A _very _good choice," I murmured, kissing him again. Everything leading up to that moment was suddenly all worth it -the happiness, the anger, the frustration, the mixed emotions- it was all worth it for this one moment of perfect. I had my first boyfriend.

* * *

><p>"You're late," I said, greeting Henry at the corner of my street with a brief kiss. I had been waiting for almost ten minutes past our ten-thirty meet up time. Before he'd left me the previous evening, we'd agreed to meet at the gate market. In truth, I had only woken up at ten and had rushed about haphazardly to get read and not be late. Thinking I didn't have the time to style my hair, I has scraped it back into a perfect, smooth topknot bun high on the crown of my head.<p>

"Hello to you too," he said cheerily. He handed me a paper cup full of coffee. I took a sip of the steaming liquid.

"You know," I said, "I'm not really a fan of coffee, but this is surprisingly good. It's not very bitter…where'd you get it?"

"I stopped by my mom's café to tell what I would be up to today and figured I'd get some coffee while I was at it." He replied. I smiled and laughed for a second with amusement.

"Nice, but what are we going to do today, anyways? You said you were going to plan a _surprise_." He smirked.

"Well, all I'll tell you is that I'm not going to tell you." he replied cryptically. I rolled my eyes and gave him a little shove. He laughed.

"Whatever, just don't take me out in the jungle again, okay?"

"Don't worry, we're not going in the jungle…not today, at least. C'mon, we've gotta get going!" he said, grabbing my free hand to hold while we walked.

* * *

><p>"Explain to me again how this is safe," I said to Henry, looking up at the tall tower we'd have to climb to reach the zip line we'd be using soon. A brochure I skimmed through said it was forty feet tall at the platform.<p>

"You're in a harness and there's multiple safety clips," he told me, tugging at various carabineers attached to his own harness.

"You've got a lot of nerve bringing me here!" I replied as a kid our age helped me into my harness. Henry was standing ahead of me at the foot of the tower we'd have to climb to the top of before being released. Next to the tower was a small kiosk selling tickets for the zip line.

"Whatever, you'll thank me when this is all over." He shot back, beginning the ascent to the platform. I followed behind him, not wanting my fear to get the best of me.

The platform was round and about ten feet in diameter, a center pole going eight feet above our heads, connecting with the thin nylon wire we'd be connected to. There was only enough room for four or five people comfortably.

"Where does it end?" I asked one of the instructors. He pointed straight ahead, _across _the colony.

"Directly opposite of here, near the gate and Taylor's headquarters." He replied, cool as a cucumber.

"How far across is that?" I said, gulping.

"Oh, a mile or so, …I'm not sure, it might be farther."

"Shouldn't you know that kind of stuff?" I asked. He shrugged.

"It's my first day, I don't know everything."

"Okay man, are you ready to go?" the other instructor asked Henry, who had been connected to the wire while I was busy worrying. He sat suspended in mid-air, his weight on the wire.

"Yeah, but hold on a sec…Adriana, come here." Henry replied, calling me over. I approached him.

"I promise you'll be fine. And I'll be there waiting for you, okay?" He could tell I was very nervous. I nodded and gave him a brief kiss.

"Be careful," I told him. He rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Don't worry, I do this all the time." He said. With that, the instructor gave him a gentle shove, and he shot away from me like a bullet.

"Wooo!" he yelled, his voice getting farther and farther away as he flew over the colony.

"Okay, miss, your turn," the instructor I'd talked to said. I nodded and stood at the edge of the platform where Henry had. The man hooked a few cords onto the wire, causing me to be a few feet off the ground from the short length of the wires.

"Now," the other instructor began, "hold onto the main cord and don't let go. You ready?" I grasped hold of the cords with both hands and nodded.

"It's now or never," I replied.

"That's the spirit…have fun!" the guy replied, pushing me away from the platform. I immediately began to scream; at first it was fright, but quickly it turned into a thrilled scream.

"Wooo!" I yelled, my voice echoing across the colony. Forty feet below me on the ground, people and rovers and plants and houses rushed by. I couldn't resist it any longer; despite the man's warning, I took both my hands off the wire and held them out to the sides like a bird. I flew over everything; the empty high school, Cheryl's café, the fields. The fields were abuzz with people as usual, though the fields seemed smaller from so high up. I flew over a sea of green, yellow, and brown, over rovers and plows and wheelbarrows; I felt invincible and free.

I could see the ending platform ahead, growing larger with every passing moment. Then, I could see figures there waiting for me. A girl, and then Henry. He was waiting for me behind the girl, who was waiting to catch me. I flew into her waiting arms, and was almost immediately unclipped. I stumbled into Henry's arms.

"Jesus, you could've told me it was such an adrenaline rush." I muttered, looking at him. He smiled.

"Oh, you're fine." He kissed me briefly before climbing down. I noticed on the ay down that with tower was only twenty or thirty feet tall.

At the bottom of the tower, there was a similar kiosk full of harnesses. We gave them to the guy behind the counter and headed for the market to buy an early lunch. I bought an orange and a piece of grilled zift, while Henry found a vendor selling some sort of vegetable soup that smelled wonderful.

"That soup looks really good," I said, looking at the paper bowl Henry held. To distract myself, I picked off a piece of zift with my fork and ate it. Zift wasn't the most flavorful fish, but with the herbs and spices that had been added, it tasted wonderful.

"It is," he replied.

"Have you had it before?"

"Yes and no,"

"What?"

"Well, I've had soup from that vendor before, but not this kind. The guy just throws in whatever he wants and sells it." He told me, bringing a spoonful of carrots and kale in broth to his lips.

"So it's something different every day," I said. More than anything, I was thinking out loud.

"Precisely," Henry replied, swallowing the soup. "Today's is quite exceptional…you want some?"

"Sure," I took the spoon from him and dipped it into the bowl. The flavor was warm and intricate, and a little fishy.

"Is there fish in there?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Probably,"

"Imagine if someone were allergic to the fish,"

"How is it possible for somebody to be allergic to a prehistoric fish?" he asked rhetorically.

"Their face would look like a puffer fish!" I replied, puffing out my lips and cheeks, for which the fish got its name. Henry snorted.

"Fish are fish and people are people…however, dinosaurs are people." He replied cryptically.

"How's that?" I asked, eating a large piece of fish.

"Each one has its own personality, and they have incredible memories."

"Does Eros have a good memory?" I asked, referencing the giant brontosaurus Henry had introduced me to in the tree house. He shrugged.

"She might."

"Does she know her name?" Nodding, he slurped down the last of his soup.

"Yes," he looked at the light brown watch on his wrist. "Damn."

"What does the name _Eros_mean, anyways?" I asked. He stood up, holding our trash in his hands.

"I forgot to mention, but I've got to go to the café. I've got work for a couple hours." I stood.

"What does her name mean?" I asked again.

"Look it up, and meet me back here at eighteen hundred," he replied, winking. I rolled my eyes as he walked away. I'd never had somebody just brush me off like that, but I wasn't terribly bothered by it. I mean, of course, it annoyed me a little that he didn't tell me he'd be leaving, but I wasn't going to raise hell over it. It wasn't a big deal. Smoothing a wrinkle in my denim jacket, I headed home, in the opposite direction my boyfriend had walked.

* * *

><p>"Jesus Christ, it means <em>intimate love <em>in ancient Greek!" I told my dog, who was laying on my stomach as I read about the meaning of _eros._ I sat up without thinking, sending my poor puppy onto the bed as she tumbled off my stomach.

"Of course…I knew why it sounded funny; it's the stem of the word _erotic_!" I muttered. It was one of those (as my great-grandmother put it) WTF moments, reading about the meaning of _eros_. The term had been popular at the turn of the 21st century and regained popularity in the 2060s when my great-grandmother was a teenager. I sat my Plex down and grabbed Gracie, snuggling her close to me face.

"Why, Gracie…WHY?!" I asked the dog in an overly-dramatic manner. She licked my face, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing. Before I could go back to reading, the phone rang. Holding Gracie in one arm, I hurried to the touch screen phone and pressed the speaker button, so I wouldn't have to hold the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Adriana? It's Jenna." The voice on the other end answered.

"Oh, hey. What's up?"

"Ohmygodyou'renotgonnabelievethisthey-" she babbled.

"Slow down, man!" I interrupted, laughing. I heard her take a deep breath.

"Okay…but you're not going to believe this until you see it. You need to get over to my house PRONTO!" she told me.

"Wait, why?"

"Doesn't matter, just get over here quick!" she replied hurriedly. I looked at Gracie, who was still in my arms.

"Can I bring Gracie?" I asked. "She's spent the whole day alone."

"Of course," Jenna replied. "Just hurry!"

"Okay, I'll be over in five." I said.

"Ten four," Jenna replied, hanging up. I found Gracie's leash and left almost immediately, walking quickly. In the weeks since we'd brought Gracie home, she had grown a little bigger and could keep up easier. My mind was racing as I approached Jenna's door. I knocked and entered without waiting, finding my friend pacing around her living room frantically.

"Oh god, Adriana!" she squeaked when she saw me.

"What?" I asked as she put her shoes on quickly. For some reason, her whole summer-dress-and-flip-flops combo didn't appeal to me. She brushed past me out the door.

"Come on," she waved me to follow her. I shut the door and caught up to her, Gracie having to jog a little to keep up.

"Jesus, what has you so riled up?" I asked. I must've appeared asleep next to her, she was so anxious and energized.

"They posted the list," she replied, turning down a different road.

"The list?" I asked, following her.

"The soccer list…they're announcing the new players they chose from the soccer meet-up thing a few weeks ago."

"Why did they take so long to decide who to invite to join?" I asked. Jenna shrugged, zipping around another corner.

"They review all the current players in addition to everybody who showed up. They may or may not have cut and replaced some people. They only let in 20 people per season, so you've got to be damn good to make it." She replied.

"Are you worried you didn't make it?" I questioned. She shook her head.

"No, I'm anxious to see if _you _made it!" she told me.

"Well, shit! Let's go!" I picked up Gracie quickly and was off in a flash, bolting down the road. My internal GPS kicked into gear and led me straight to the learning center, Jenna on my heels.

* * *

><p>A large gaggle of people crowded around the posted list, tacked to a corkboard in the entrance room to the learning center. People were pushing and shouting, everyone trying to see whether they'd made the team. I didn't want to be rude and strong-arm my way through the crowd, though Jenna thought differently. She began to shoulder her way through the crowd, cursing and yelling to get her way. In one hand I held Gracie, the other firmly clamped down on Jenna's shoulder. I followed her closely to the front of the crowd, where we could read the paper. Jenna ran her finger down the list, looking for her name.<p>

"Yes!" she yelled. "Still got it!" she pumped her arms in the air.

"You still on?" I asked.

"Yup," she said, moving out of my way. I ran through all the names. Most I didn't recognize, though I did notice Jacob didn't make it. Henry was still on the team, as was May. My heart began to beat a little faster as I neared the end of the list.

My finger stopped on the last name. There, printed in simple black ink, was the name of the final player to the team. Somebody new. Somebody I knew. Before my mind realized who it was, I was already shrieking with joy.

_Adriana Prevot...new player, 9__th__ pilgrimage_

* * *

><p>"You made the team?" Henry asked, his mouth hanging open a little. I smiled and nodded smugly.<p>

"I made the team," I confirmed.

"Oh, that's awesome!" He replied, picking my up and twirling me around for a moment in the square where we'd ate lunch. It was just past six o'clock, and my news of the team was the first thing I told him.

"I'm so happy for you, Adri." He said when he let go of me. I smiled again.

"Thank you. Not only will it keep me busy this summer, but it'll give us an excuse to spend time together." I told him. He nodded.

"Because we don't see each other enough already," he said jokingly. I snorted and smacked his arm playfully.

"You know what I mean, genius,"

"Of course. Does Jacob know yet?"

"Not yet. I was going to tell him tonight at dinner."

"Be careful," he warned. "I'll guarantee it'll piss him off."

"Henry, you're telling that to _me_?" I replied, rolling my eyes.

"What?"

"I've had to deal with him for almost sixteen years, Henry." I said matter-of-factly. He slapped his palm to his forehead.

"Duh, I'm such a idiot." He replied, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, stop it you twit. You're not an idiot."

"But I'm a twit,"

"Whatever, you know what I mean."

"Or do I?" he replied, eyeing me mystically as though he were purposely trying to confuse me. It amazed me how effortless this conversation was. In fact, every conversation we had. We could quickly go back and forth, spewing nonsensical sentences to each other without losing a beat. It was completely effortless when we spoke; words formulated into sentences without the thought of whether the other person would understand. That was one of the (many) things I liked about Henry; he was one of the few people I could speak to in such a natural way.

* * *

><p>"I'm…happy for you." my brother muttered, stabbing at his salad with a fork. His reaction to my news of the making the team wasn't unexpected by anyone, but there was still an inevitable tension in the air at the dinner table.<p>

"That'll be nice that you'll get to see all your friends, dear," my mother murmured. I winced a little, knowing that she was unintentionally rubbing salt into the wound by talking about people who _did _make the team. My poor mother was so clueless to so many things, it made me want to cringe.

"Little miss popular, aren't you?" Jacob said snidely. I rolled my eyes discreetly.

"That's your girlfriend, Jacob. Not me." I replied.

"You're the one who's best buddies with Henry and May. I'm just the boyfriend." He replied sharply. My eyes met Ally's for a brief moment. She was the only one I'd so far told about my new relationship. She smirked a little and tilted her head down, biting into a slice of warmed baguette bread.

"All three of us are topics of debate, if you haven't noticed, Jacob." I snapped back. I took a sip of iced tea.

"How so?" he replied quickly. I spat out a little tea in surprise.

"_How so_?" I repeated, narrowing my eyes in disbelief.

"Yeah. How so?" he replied with ice in his voice. I could tell he was seething on the inside. I could feel my eyes bulging in my head from utter disbelief and frustration. Every person at the table knew that when my eyes began to bulge during a heated conversation, that all hell was about to break loose. I saw my mother sigh.

"_How so_, Jacob? _HOW SO_? Let's start off with the basics: you, my dear brother, are the boyfriend May kept a secret for a year. I'm the best friend who nobody knew anything about until she suddenly popped up out of nowhere and became all buddy-buddy with the most influential teenager in all of Terra Nova. You know, nothing important; just a secret boyfriend and best friend."

"What about Ally?"

"Guilty by association."

"Association to who?"

"Us, dumbass," my mother cleared her throat, a warning about my language. My brother rolled his eyes at my words.

"Did you ever consider that people might be talking about us for us, and not for who we talk to?" Jacob replied. I rolled my eyes. He had completely invalidated his previous point, evidence of how furious he was becoming; he was now just trying to win the argument , whether or not he made sense.

"Oh, brother, Jacob. Are you blind? Hello, wake up and open your eyes! Back in Chicago we were nobodies. I had, like, three friends, and you weren't much better off." I replied quickly.

"What're you talking about? I had tons of friends."

"Yeah, when May was there. After she left for Terra Nova, nobody wanted to be your friend, Jacob."

"You're delusional, Adriana." I snorted at his response.

"Are you sure you're not the delusional one? If one of us is delusional, it certainly isn't me, Jacob, because at least I'll actually admit that nobody liked me and that I was a social outcast." With those words, my brother pushed his chair away from the table and stormed off to his room. He stopped in front of his door and turned towards me.

"You are such an insensitive, delusional bitch, Adriana." He told me in an icy-cold voice before slamming his door shut. Dinner was officially ruined.

**Ouch...what do you think? Drop a review and tell me your thoughts (your advice and encouragement is what inspires me to write) on this chapter, as well as how you think the story is going so far.**


	23. Chapter 23

**Yay! I did it! I got a whole, regular-length chapter done before my extended leave of absense starting tomorrow. I will only be out of commission until the 30th, and then I'll be back to writing, I promise! Whew, that has to have been a record for me...**

**I am dearly sorry in advance for any and all typos/errors/mistakes! It is nearly 11pm here and I just finished it, so I am too tired (and a little lazy) to edit. I hope this chapter is enjoyable, because I had a TON of fun writing it! Be warned: evil cliffhanger!**

Chapter Twenty-Three

"How should I go about it, then? I really don't want to talk about it, because I know it'll be awkward, but it has to be done." I questioned my friends as we walked towards my house after soccer practice. Jenna shrugged.

"Just bring it up casually. Start with something like, 'We should talk'." May advised.

"Do you think that would work?" Jenna asked. May nodded nonchalantly. In the two months since I'd come to Terra Nova, the two had developed a really wonderful friendship. It mystified me how easily they could set aside their long history and start afresh, but it made me very happy regardless.

"I'm positive. It's always worked for me." May replied.

"That's the easiest way to do it," I said. "Though, I've had to make amends with Jacob plenty of times in my life, so it shouldn't really be _that _difficult to do it again."

"Are you going to bring it up today?" Jenna asked. I shrugged.

"I think I'm going to wait until Tuesday, so it'll be after my birthday." I murmured.

"Why not just do it today so you guys are cool tomorrow for your birthday?" she questioned.

"I dunno, I don't really wanna risk making him even more angry, just in time for my birthday. I don't want his attitude to ruin my sixteenth birthday."

"You _do _only have one sixteenth birthday, after all." May added. I pointed to her.

"Exactly, my friend. Exactly." I said, a pseudo-serious expression on my face. May cracked up, causing me to lose my composure as we reached my house. Jenna joined in as I unlocked the door and pushed it open, letting a rush of prehistoric July heat into the cool house. Dropping our smelly soccer bags in the foyer, we all converged on the kitchen in search of post-practice food. A joyful yip caught our attention for a moment as Gracie came skidding into the kitchen, her tail wiggling with excitement. May scooped her up.

"Well hello there, Miss Gracie!" she said playfully, hardly trying to prevent the small dog from licking her sweaty face.

"I can't believe your dog is licking her sweaty face," Jenna mumbled, watching the dog with amusement. I couldn't help but smile as I took a bite of a bright green apple.

"She's a strange one," I murmured.

"It looks like your dog is out of water," Jenna told me, pointing to the round metal bowl on the floor. I rinsed it out in the sink and filled it up with clean, cold water.

"Drinks some water, G!" I called. May squatted down and let the dog jump onto the floor, where she skittered over to the bowl and lapped up nearly half the bowl. I topped off the bowl again when she finished.

"Do you guys have any peanut butter?" May asked. I shrugged and opened a cabinet.

"Maybe…ah, there you are!" I said, pulling a round jar of peanut butter from the top shelf. I handed it to May, who held a small spoon in her hand. She unscrewed the lid and dipped the spoon in, scooping out a glob of the gooey stuff. She replaced the lid and bent down on the floor.

"Gracie, look what I've got!" she called. My dog came to investigate, intrigued by the smell. Before any of us could do a thing, May swiped a glob of peanut butter off the spoon with her finger and dabbed it on my dog's nose, much to our amusement. Despite the fact that we were sweaty and dirty, despite the fact that my brother hadn't spoke to me in three weeks, I was happy. My life was at a place that I was proud of, and I couldn't bother with negativities for the next couple days.

* * *

><p>My room was a golden-orange color that washed over everything, bathing it in a sunny stupor. It was still a little cool, only eight in the morning, but the sun was nearly over the hills. I sat up and stretched my arms, trying to stretch out my morning grogginess. I crawled out of my bed and left the room, walking down the hall to the bathroom. I splashed cold water on my face and brushed my teeth.<p>

After showering, I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my hair. My long, über-blonde hair I'd always loved. Standing there, it felt so heavy, like each strand of hair was a piece of thread-like lead. I left the bathroom and found the pair of shears my mother used to cut her own hair. Returning to the mirror, I combed my wet hair smooth as hair stylists did before cutting. I held up a section of hair towards the front of my head and carefully snipped off a few inches. When the piece dropped down with the rest of my hair, I realized I'd cut off six or seven inches. Shrugging, I got to work.

By the time I was done, it was almost nine o'clock. My hair was about seven inches shorter, and just slightly grazed my shoulders. I had tried, and was happy to find that I could still pull it into a bun. It was a completely different look, something I'd never had before, but it made me look older, which was, as of three-nineteen in the morning, appropriate. I styled it sleek and straight, the weight of all that hair gone. The floor was, to my realization, covered with a mass of wet blonde hair. Cursing quietly, I picked up as much as I could and threw it away.

While I went about getting ready for the day in front of the mirror, I could hear my cousin slowly stirring in the bed next to mine. As she came to, I let her take in my hair…or rather, my lack thereof. Judging from the groggy confusion that crossed her face, I could tell it was too early in her day to comprehend anything.

"Birthday…huh? Uh, birthday…yours." She mumbled as she pulled her blanket farther over her head. Chuckling, I went to my dresser and found my favorite dark blue jeans and an airy teal blouse. The prehistoric weather I'd grown accustomed to was particularly finicky during the summer, switching from dry and hot to humid and hot, with the occasional cool, 60-degree day. Though I personally had no religion affiliation, I was thankful to who or whatever controlled the weather and had decided to make July 14th my favorite kind of weather. Out the bedroom window, I could see the sky was clear and bright blue, though the sun was mercifully hidden behind a bank of bright clouds.

"Happy birthda…" my mother began when I entered the living room, obviously surprised by my hair.

"What did you…?"

"I wanted something different," I told her. She approached me and ran her fingers through the silky gold locks.

"It looks very nice," she murmured, still in awe.

"I did it myself," I proclaimed.

"Did you use my shears?" she asked.

"Of course,"

"Then they must've had some of my own skills imprinted into them." She told me, a rare edge of sarcasm in her voice. I smiled.

"Of course,"

"Did Ally see it?" I shrugged.

"She _saw _it, but I don't think it registered completely. Like, the lights were on, but nobody was home." My mother giggled like a girl.

"_The lights were on, but nobody was home_," she echoed. "That's a good one. I haven't heard that in a long time."

"Where'd you first hear it?"

"Oh, your father said that to me a long time ago. I think he was using it to describe some politician." She told me, a glimmer of nostalgia in her eyes. I flopped down on the couch, slinging my crossed legs over the arm rest as I lay on my back.

"What was dad like when you guys were my age?" I asked. She smiled a little and sat down next to me.

"He was goofy and silly, the class clown. Everybody told me that I should've focused on my studies, that he was a joke. They all told me he would be the downfall of my aspiration to be a doctor. That he was a bad influence on me." She replied, smoothing my hair.

"Was he?"

"In truth, probably. But I loved him, even when I was sixteen and he was seventeen."

"Do you think it was love at first sight?" she shrugged in response.

"Maybe. I do remember-" she stopped to laugh briefly as a memory came to her mind. "I remember this time, not long after we started dating, when he came to meet my parents. My mother was suspicious of him and his intentions, and dad…" she paused again to giggle. "Dad told him that he smelled too girly, like he'd been hanging around me too much." I laughed along with her.

"Do you think he was trying to use reverse psychology on him?" I asked. She nodded.

"You know how your grandpa is. He's a smart cookie…I think that's where you and I get it from." She told me.

"What about Jacob?" I asked. She smirked and shrugged.

"I think the gene might've skipped him," she said quietly. I sat up and turned to my mother.

"Nu-uh!" I squealed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Of course, silly. Jacob's very smart, just like all of us."

"What about Ally, then?"

"Ally, too. We're just a family of geniuses." She said, smiling. She smoothed back a strand of hair that came down between my eyes.

"I wish your father was here to see what a wonderful young woman you've become, Adriana." She told me. I smiled, though the fact that my father lived a few houses away loomed in the back of my mind.

"What would you do if he were alive somehow? Like if he just walked in the front door." I asked cautiously. She thought about it for a minute before answering.

"I'd hug him and kiss him and tell him how much I love him." She answered.

"You wouldn't cry?" she shrugged.

"I doubt it. I'm not all that emotional that way, you know."

"Of course."

"I just hope that someday you get the opportunity to love and be loved by somebody the way I loved your father." She told me.

"Well, uh, actually…" _it's now or never! _"You remember Henry, right?" she nodded.

"Your friend, the blond one." She said. I nodded.

"Yeah, him. So, um…at Uncle Max's wedding, we kind of…uh…we kind of kissed, and uh…now we're kind of…sort of…a little bit…dating." I stammered, unsure of how to tell her. It wasn't like I had any sort of prior experience with that kind of thing, mind you; Henry was my first romantic relationship ever. She stared into my eyes for a few moments, her face unreadable. She suddenly let out a high-pitched squeal and nearly jumped into my lap in an effort to hug me.

"OhmygoshIjustknewitfromthemo mentImethimIsawthewayyouguys lookedateachotherIknewyouguy swouldendupgettingtogether!" she squealed, all in one breath, when she let go of me.

"Take a breath, mom, it's okay. Calm down." My mom closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me again.

"How did it happen?" she asked, beyond excited. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh god, mom, are you going to ask me thirty-million questions about it now?"

"Of course, silly!" she told me. "Tell me everything!"

"Okay. We kissed a while ago…er, he kissed me and it was really awkward after."

"When was that?"

"Like, a day after we met. So…sometime during our first week here. Maybe the third or fourth day?"

"And you've been dating since then?"

"No, we started dating at the wedding. We just kissed that one time and then forgot about it because it was really, _really _awkward. But I feel like ever since then, and even before, there was a lot of sexual tension between us." My mother rose her eyebrows questioningly. I rolled my eyes.

"Puh-_leeze_, mom! Do you really think I'm talking about that kind of sexual tension? What kind of person do you think I am, man?!" she laughed at my overly dramatic answer.

"Of course not. I know that you know better than that. I was just trying to freak you out, since that's my job. You know, since I'm the mom."

"You, my friend, need to work on your sarcasm." I told her with a pseudo-serious look on my face. She smiled.

"Of course. I'm sorry that I suck at trying to be a real, responsible parent. I should be concerned that my baby is dating, and I should feel the desperate urge to acquaint myself with Henry's parents, when in reality, I'm just a teenager at heart when it comes to matters of the heart."

"Still stuck in twenties when you were my age, aren't you?" she smiled and gave me a hug.

"I'm a teenager at heart. You know that better than anyone." She stood up and walked to the kitchen.

"So," she said, looking at me. "What shall the birthday girl eat on her sixteenth birthday for breakfast?"

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday!" Henry said cheerfully, handing me a large, colorfully-wrapped box. We had met in the market to spend a couple hours together before I became overwhelmed by my birthday-loving family's celebrations.<p>

"Aw, you didn't have to!" I told him, gently shaking the box. He smiled.

"I did. You deserve it, because you're such a great person."

"Aw," I cooed, standing on my toes to kiss him briefly.

"What is it?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I don't know. You'll have to open it to find out!"

"Okay, fine!" I said jokingly. I sat down on a nearby bench and carefully tore off the paper, revealing a plain box. When I removed the lid, I found another box inside. This one was slightly smaller. I glanced at Henry quizzically, but he shrugged. I took the lid of the second box and found another, slightly smaller box. I took the lid of that box and found _another _smaller box. It continues on and on until I'd opened fifteen boxes. When I took the lid of the sixteenth box, a teeny-tiny thing that could've fit in my palm, I found that it was not empty, as all the others had been. Inside, resting on a small square of red fabric in the bottom of that tiny box, was a delicate silver chain that had a small, silver, triangle-shaped pendant on the end with three glimmering stones: a red one and bluish one on the bottom, and a pale purple one at the top of the triangle.

"Oh, Henry…" I murmured, looking at him in disbelief. He took the necklace from the box and told me to stand up. He stood behind me.

"The red one is a ruby, for July, for your birthday," he began as he tried secured the necklace. "The blue one is sapphire, for my birthday, September seventeenth." He clicked the little lobster clasp into place and stepped in front of me, taking both my hands. "And the purple is kunzite, which stands for everlasting love." My lip trembling a little, I wrapped my arms around his stomach and hugged him before kissing him sweetly for a few seconds. When I broke away from him, my hand went to the pendant on the necklace; the chain was long enough that I could easily hold the silver triangle in my hand to admire.

"It's so beautiful…thank you." I said, looking at him. He was smiling.

"You like it?"

"I love it…but why did you include the kunzite?" I replied.

"I've thought about it for a long, long time, Adriana. Even before were…together. When I barely knew you, I would just look at you when you weren't paying attention, and I'd just watch you. I'd just watch how you smile and talk and laugh, and how you keep eye contact with people when you talk to them. I've read psychology books before, and they all say that someone who keeps eye contact is often very honest, and trustworthy. I've told you before how all the people at school are so fake, but that's what draws me to you."

"That I'm fake?"

"That you're the exact opposite. You're the realest person I know, and, well, I don't know how else to say it, so I'll just come right out with it: I love you, Adriana. I love you." His eyes were so full of emotion I expected him to cry. Had the necklace not be secured around my neck, it would've came tumbling to the gravelly ground under our feet.

"But we haven't been together for even a month," I told him. He shook his head ever so slightly, keeping contact with my eyes.

"_Love hath no boundaries; no beginning, no end, simply forever. 'Tis not marked by a day._" He quoted, smiling softly. I hugged him again, and even when I was ready to let go, I felt his hold on me. I was glad to stay there, in his warm embrace, breathing in his all-too-familiar smell of chocolate and fruit.

"A while ago," I began, murmuring into his chest. "Jenna told me that I loved you, that she saw the way I watched you and how when your name was spoken, my eyes would light up…and I realize now, that she was _right_. I do love you. I love you."

* * *

><p>"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Adrianaaaaaaaa, happy birthday to you!" my family and friends howled in unison in a shoddy attempt to sing on-key. In front of me, on the dining room table, sat a chocolate cake slathered in thick chocolate frosting. Around the table was everybody that was important to me: my mother, brother, Ally, May, Jenna, Henry, Uncle Max, and Aunt Heather. <em>Okay, well, minus one important person<em>.

"Blow out your candles and make a wish!" Jenna said excitedly. I took a deep breath and blew out the sixteen red candles that burned brightly atop my cake, somehow forgetting to make a wish.

"Let's cut the cake!" I said when I was finished, my mother already carrying an armful of plates and silverware to the table. Using a simple butter knife, she divvied up the round cake into ten slices. Once everyone held a plate, we all devoured the cake.

"That, mother, was the best cake I have ever tasted." I told my mother, praising her cooking skills.

"Thank you. Now, how about we open a few presents, eh?" she said, coming out of her room carrying a few boxes wrapped in paper. She sat them down in front of me expectantly. Opening the smallest box first, I found a pair of stunning diamond earrings.

"They were my grandmother's," she told me when I looked at her, completely speechless.

"They're beautiful," I replied, carefully closing them back in their box. The next present was nearly two hundred terras, a gift my mother claimed was so I wouldn't have to mooch money off her, to which we all laughed at. The third and final box contained a shiny new Plex, something I had been wanting for weeks. Mine own Plex, which I'd brought from Chicago, had finally croaked after being left outside overnight during a torrential downpour. My mother had claimed that I would have to save up my own money if I wanted a new Plex, as it had been entirely my fault that the Plex was left outside.

"Tom Boylan came in after getting smashed over the head by one of the barflies, and offered me a Plex as a token of appreciation for getting his forehead stitched up without too much pain." She told us humorously.

"Sounds just like good ole' Boylan, having an extra piece of technology just _lying _around." My uncle said, laughter in his voice.

"Honey, it's nearly eight-thirty…" Heather said to her husband, her hand on his arm.

"Oh, shoot…then, we've got to get going. I have a consultation with a client about a new instrument at eight-thirty…man, we've got to go!" my uncle said, cursing under his breath as he looked at his watch.

"That's fine, Max. I have to go down to the market quickly anyways to buy some stuff for breakfast, anyways." My mother told him. My aunt and uncle left quickly, wishing me a happy birthday and apologizing for having to leave so soon. My mother left not long after they did, intent on buying some produce for breakfast that she just _had _to have right at that moment."

"What now?" I asked when my mother was gone, us teenagers lounging around in the sitting area, stretched out on couches.

"You get a big birthday hug from your daddy," my father said, coming in the front door, his arms outstretched. In one hand, he held a tall bottle of lemonade.

"Dad!" I called, jumping out of my seat to run into his arms.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," he said, hugging me.

"Hey, dad," Jacob said in greeting as our father sat down with us.

"What're you doing here, dad? It probably isn't very safe for you to be here, 'cause mom is only gonna be gone to the market for a little bit." I told him. He shrugged.

"She won't catch me! I'm Alex Prevot, after all." He said, half-jokingly as he meandered into the kitchen to pour the lemonade.

"Whatever, Mr. Prevot!" May called.

"Hey," my father said, pointing at her. "Don't underestimate me." May rolled her eyes, and we all laughed before continuing our conversation. When my father came back with small glasses of lemonade for each of us, we rose and held our glasses above our heads for a toast. In reality, the glasses were shot cups, but nobody seemed to care.

"To you, Adriana. I am so proud of you, and I am so glad to have a second chance at being your dad," he cheered.

"To Adriana!" everyone said in unison, clinking their glasses together.

"On the count of three!" I called.

"One…two…three!" we chanted in unison before tipping our heads back to drink the small amount of lemonade as though they were shots. As each person finished their shot, we began to hoot in excitement.

"DAMMIT!" we heard my mother's voice from outside. It was faint, but loud enough to be a sign that my dad needed to get the hell out before he got caught.

"Crap, gotta go!" my dad said.

"Happy birthday, sweetie. I love you." He said, giving me a quick hug. He raced to collect all the glasses before rinsing them in the sink haphazardly. He screwed the cap on the lemonade and quickly found a spot for it in the fridge. Racing back to the group, he hugged Jacob and Ally before hurrying to the door.

Just as his hand touched the door knob, the knob turned and the door opened out into the night. In front of him, standing 5'2" and carrying a basket of fruits and vegetables, was my mother. At my side I heard my brother curse.

My mother stopped, looked at my father for a moment, her eyes growing glassy. The basket fell from her hand, her mouth open a little, utterly speechless as her brain began to make connections of some sort.

"A…Alex?"

**DUN DUN DUN! I'm sorry that you'll have to wait so long before another update, but keep checking back any day after the 30th for an update! I hope you all have a wonderful end to your summer, and I'll see you in a few weeks!**

**Oh, and while I'm at it, I might as well beg for some reviews! C'mon, step right up and be the only one other than the wonderful Ebi Pers to leave a review! You can do it!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I'M BAAAAACK! You can't get rid of me! I present you with a fresh new chapter to my lovely little story, ready to be reviewed! **

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I…I…Lucille?" my father stuttered hesitantly. My mother reached her hand up to his face, gently touching his cheek.

"Is this…real? Are…are you…real?" my mother was so confused, so lost for words. My father placed his hand on top of my mother's.

"This is, Lucille. This is real. _I'm _real." He told her. My mother's bottom lip trembled.

"_Oh…my god."_

"Lucille?"

"_It's you. It's you…Alex."_ Her voice was no more than a whisper.

"I'm Alex," he murmured. I glanced at my brother, who looked like he was about to have an aneurism.

"But…but…h-how?" my mother placed her other hand on his face, her eyes searching for reality. My father pulled her into his arms, holding her close. Her arms snaked around his chest, clutching the fabric on the back of his shirt. Her quiet sobbing slowly grew more audible.

"Shh…shh…it's okay, Lucille, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay, I promise." His voice was soothing, though our mother's sobs turned into painful cries.

"How is th-this even p-p-possible, A-Alex?" she cried. My father turned his head to us and motioned with his eyes we should leave. We all quickly exited, walking down the road quietly. I swore under my breath after we'd been walking silently for a few minutes.

"Seriously," Jenna muttered.

"Happy birthday," May said flatly. It was dusk, the sun having already set behind the hills. I felt Henry casually slide his hand into mine. I felt a reassuring squeeze from his hand and smiled to myself, comforted by his simple, silent gesture. Other than Ally, nobody knew of our relationship, not yet, so it was fortunate that the sun had made the sky dark enough to conceal our hands.

"What're you gonna do now?" Henry asked, speaking to both my brother and I.

"I dunno. My guess is mom's gonna be pretty crazy the next couple days." Jacob replied.

"If she went crazy after your dad left the first time, she's gonna go berserk this time," May said, her voice dark and troubled.

"It's gonna take her at least a couple days -if not weeks- but I think she'll adjust well." Ally murmured.

"I mean, shit happens. Knowing mom, she'll be all helter-skelter for the time being, but I honestly think she'll be fine before long." I said.

"Yeah, shit happens." Jacob repeated.

"Her husband was shot in front of her and she was told he was dead even though he was actually helping to anchor the time fracture and then ten years later shows up 85 million years in the past at her door…yeah, shit happens." May muttered darkly. I couldn't help but laugh at how impossibly small, how infinitely small, the chance of what had just happened actually happening was.

"Ha!" My laugh came out as a sarcastic, dark sound that was obviously troubled.

"Things will work out, they always do," Ally said comfortingly.

"I know they will, but I'm still worried for my mom. She's had way too much crazy stuff going on in her life the past few months. It's not fair to her, or to the colony." I replied.

"The colony?" Jenna asked.

"She's one of the few doctors this colony's got. It'll do a disservice to the colony if she's too distracted to work." Jacob replied before I could. He knew just as well as I –or anyone, for that matter- that if we were without a vital doctor, the colony would be at a disadvantage.

"She needs time to adjust to life with her husband again," May said, speaking carefully. "and my guess is that they're probably going to decide to be together again, and that he'll sleep over tonight, which will probably lead to sex. And seeing as the walls are paper-thin, I doubt you'll want to listen to the sound of your parents having sex. You're welcome to stay at my place tonight." She offered, speaking to Jacob, Ally, and I.

"Thank you, May. I appreciate it." I said, accepting her offer.

"I think your parents will get the idea," Jenna said, a hint of suggestiveness in her voice. Everyone laughed, breaking the thick tension there had been in the air.

"Listening to parents have sex is _pas bien_," I said, using the French words for 'not good' in an effort to lighten the mood.

"When my parents do it, my mom starts to scr-" May began.

"Let's not talk about that!" Henry cut in jokingly. Everyone laughed.

"True story," May said, shrugging.

"That's gross," Jacob told her, pseudo-shuddering at the thought. The idea of my parents having sex seemed so foreign, as though it never happened. I did, essentially, grow up without a father, and my mother never had another relationship after he was gone, so the concept of her having sex never seemed possible. It was, of course, obvious that they'd had sex before -at least twice, judging by the two children they had. I shuddered at my train of thought and shoved it away from my brain.

"Um, where are we even going?" I asked, stopping. My friends stopped and we automatically turned into a little circle to converse.

"Crazy," Henry said sarcastically.

"Nowhere, really. We just need to be away from that house of yours for now," Jenna stated.

"I'm cold," Jacob muttered.

"We should go to my house, then. It's getting late, anyways. We can call your parents and let them know you'll be with me." May replied, speaking to my cousin, Jacob, and I. My arms were starting to feel clammy, evidence of the onset of evening. I took my hand away from Henry's to rub my arms.

"If you guys are going to go to May's, then I'm going to head home. I'm usually not out past dark, so my parents might be a little worried. I'm sure I'll see you guys tomorrow, though." Jenna said, turning to walk away. She stopped after a few steps and came back to hug me.

"Happy birthday, Adriana," she murmured quietly.

"See you," I replied quietly. She smiled and turned away, her hands in her pockets as she walked towards her own home.

"I think I've better get going, too," Henry said after a few moments of silence. My heart fell; his house was in the opposite direction of May's, so we'd have to say good-night here, in front of our friends. We'd have to act as though nothing was going on. "but your house is close enough to mine, so I'll just walk from there after you guys go inside." I saw May's eyebrow raise quizzically, but she didn't challenge his words.

"Let's go, then," May spoke, her words almost like a challenge. We headed on, walking with a purpose. We walked side-by-side in a wide line, taking up two-thirds of the narrow road. I was the farthest to the right, Henry next to me. It had gotten even darker -and cooler- and Henry put his arm around my waist, pulling me a little closer to his as the group walked. It was a simple, unnoticeable gesture to anyone else, but I knew it his way of silently saying that he was there for me. I was thankful that he was there; I had my friends, I had my brother, but until now I didn't have another half to comfort me. The comfort Henry gave me was immensely different than anything I could get from Ally or May or Jenna or Jacob; it was more intimate and supportive.

At May's house, Ally and Jacob went inside immediately, the fatigue obvious in their eyes. May went in just after them, leaving Henry and I alone in the street. He wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in the scent of chocolate and fruit and cologne. I put my arms around him, my hands only staying linked together by my pointer fingers.

"You'll be okay, right?" he asked.

"I'll be fine, it's just kind of crazy right now…you were there, you saw it all." I murmured into his chest, my face buried in the warm hoodie he wore.

"I know you'll get through this. You're strong." He replied. I looked up at him.

"Thank you. You've been here for me since this whole fiasco started, and I really am grateful for that. Thank you." I told him, ours eyes locked together.

"I promise I'll be here for you through all of this. I promise." He kissed my forehead. I touched my necklace with one hand.

"I've been thinking about it today, and this necklace means a lot. It's so…" I trailed off, lost for words.

"So…what?"

"So…symbolic. It's us so perfectly; it's simple and beautiful, but still strong and intricate and complicated." I knew that sounded cheesy, but it was true. He tilted my chin up with one finger and kissed me gently, our lips touching for nearly a minute.

"I love you, ya know," he murmured softly.

"I love you, too." I replied. Giving him one final squeeze, and another -briefer- kiss, I turned away and went to the door. I stood on the lit porch and watched him walk until he was out of sight. Sighing, I went inside and joined the others.

* * *

><p>"<em>Adriana<em>," May whispered. Ally and I were lying on the floor in May's dark bedroom, while May slept in her own bed. "_Adriana!_"

"What?" I asked, crawling to the end of her bed where her head was so we wouldn't have to talk across the room. Ally seemed to be dozing off, so I replied in a quiet voice as not to disturb her.

"I know about you and Henry," she murmured. I nearly soiled my pants; _how does she know? Did Ally tell her?_

"What?"

"I went inside earlier and was waiting for you, but when I went I outside to see what was taking so long, you and Henry were out there kissing each other." She replied.

"Jesus, you saw that?" I asked, blushing.

"Sorry. If I'd known that was going on I wouldn't have went outside." She told me.

"Really?"

"Actually, no…scratch that; I would've went outside and told you guys to hurry up and be done already!" she told me, trying to suppress a quiet giggle. I smiled, but I was still a little unsettled that she'd found out.

"Whatever," I said, smiling with amusement.

"Does anyone else know?" May asked.

"Ally and my mom, but that's it. I want to tell Jenna, but I keep forgetting to." I whispered.

"Tell her soon…though, actually…er, maybe not. You know how it is with Jenna and Henry."

"She told me a long time ago that I loved him, before we were even together, and I told her that I like him, so I don't think she'll be too troubled by it. She's smart enough; if she hasn't caught on to us yet, I'd be surprised. I can understand Jacob not catching on, but I'd be surprised if she didn't." I replied. May snorted with amusement.

"Agreed," she said.

"Could you guys shut up? I'm trying to sleep over here!" Ally grumbled from her corner of the room. May and I giggled.

"We'll talk about this later," I told her.

"Okay…'night."

"'Night," I murmured, crawling back to my heap of blankets. I zipped up my sweatshirt to my chin, comforted by Henry's lingering scent from when I'd hugged him earlier. I curled into a ball, and promptly fell asleep into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

><p>"I know it'll be a little strange at first, but we both think it's what would be best for us as a family." My father said, glancing from Jacob, to Ally, to me. My parents sat across the dining table from my brother, cousin, and I. We'd been home from May's only a few minutes when our parents had us sit down to talk.<p>

"We've gotten a second chance, and we're not going to screw it up this time." My father added, referring to the fact that he would be moving in with us at home, hopefully so we could live as a whole family again. It was an incredible revelation that after ten years of having no father figure, we'd be getting back the only one we'd ever had. _A chance to do it over._

"We never screwed up before, dad," I told him. He shrugged.

"Okay, _we_ didn't screw up." He replied, shrugging. My mother smiled.

"Of course not. None of us did anything wrong, right?" she added. Jacob and I nodded.

"If anything, it's good that all this happened. If you hadn't gone to help with the portal, then this colony wouldn't be here." Jacob said.

"Yeah, losing your dad for ten years so humanity could be saved is a great thing, Jacob." Ally told him.

"It is! I would give him up for another ten if it had to be done!" Jacob replied quickly. My father rose his hands, trying to hold back his amusement.

"Come on, man! Are you really just gonna leave me hanging like that?" My father asked him, his face a wash of pseudo-anger. I guffawed with laughter.

"Whatever, you know he loves his daddy too much to part ways again." I said. My mother stood up.

"Let's go get some breakfast. I'm sure you're all hungry, and I am definitely not going to cook today."

"Yum, let's go. Where should we eat?" Ally asked.

"How about the _Morning Star_? It's that quaint little place just down the way a bit." She replied.

"Oh, they have the best grilled cheese sandwiches!" I burst out, remembering that café as the one Henry's mom owned, where I'd first tried a grilled cheese sandwich. My family looked at me funny.

"Auf geht's!" my mother said in German, her words meaning _let's go! _We all left the table and headed out the door, on towards our first meal as a family in ten years.

* * *

><p>We sat at a small wicker table, enjoying fresh fruit, toast, juice, coffee, and pancakes on the small covered patio in front of the <em>Morning Star <em>café.

"I don't even remember the last time I had pancakes," my mother murmured between bites of the blueberry pancake on her plate.

"They didn't have them in Chicago," I told her.

"It's strange that we're able to eat foods that didn't exist where we lived a few months ago." Jacob said.

"I can see you're still getting used to it all," my mother replied, smiling.

"I think we all are," I added.

"It's weird to think that a few months ago, you were thought to be dead," my mother said, looking at my father. I could see in her eyes that she was still in shock over the whole fiasco, but I could tell she wanted to know more.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you guys again," my father told her.

"So what happened, then? How'd you end up here?" Jacob asked. He already knew the answer -we both did- but I knew that our mother didn't want to be the one to ask. My father wiped a bit of syrup off his chin before he spoke.

"When those thugs broke into our apartment and shot me, I fell nearly unconscious. I couldn't move, but I could hear everything around me. It was as though the bullets had some sort of paralyzing substance added to them. I heard you crying, Lucille, and I heard the kids asking about Daddy. If I had been able to move, I would have. I would have proved I wasn't dead, that I was still alive. I couldn't do anything when that officer said I was dead. When they took me away, they tranquilized me and it wasn't until then that I was actually unconscious."

"I woke up a few days later in a hospital room. Except, there were no windows. Just clean, sterile white lights hanging from the ceiling. It looked like any other hospital, with nurses and doctors and patients, though everyone mostly ignored me. I was brought meals three times a day, given whatever reading material I requested, and I could get up and walk around and use the bathroom whenever I wanted to. I could watch television if I wanted to, but all that ever played were nature or travel shows from the 21st century. When I asked about my family, they told me I couldn't have visitors until I stronger. I was very weak for the first months; it took a lot of effort just to stand up, and I had to use a walker for a long time. Patients couldn't go outside, so I'd walk circuits around the hospital. First, when I was just starting out, I'd make a little loop around the nurses' station. After a while, I'd go around twice, and then three times, then four, five, six…until I was tired of walking around that. I switched to my floor of the hospital, which was pretty small compared to other floors. Once I had mastered that walk, when I had switched to a cane, I began to climb stairs. I'd go from my floor to the floor above, up and down, a few times. Once I'd gotten strong enough to be weaned off the cane, I would make circuits around three or four floors of the hospital, going up and down for a few hours at a time. Once I'd been cleared by the in-house physical therapist, I used the hospital's weight room, building back my strength."

"It wasn't until six or seven months after I arrived that I found out why I was there. A nurse brought me to a conference room, where some guys in suits were waiting. They explained that my family was under the impression I had died, and that every person I knew had been told I was dead. That I had been watched for a few months prior to my 'death' because I was wanted. Apparently the people of Hope Plaza wanted me to help them with the process of anchoring the portal on our side because I was such an accomplished scientist and engineer. They told me that we were approximately five hundred feet under the surface of the Earth, in an underground hospital, which explained the lack of windows. When I asked why I had to be shot in front of my wife and children, they said that the whole situation hadn't gone right, and that everything had gotten really messy after the first shot. Apparently the thugs who shot me were hired security to reinforce Hope Plaza's wishes if I refused to help, but they had been under the impression that I was supposed to fake-die."

"I told them I'd help, but when the portal was anchored, that I could go through the portal and bring my family with me. They refused, though we eventually agreed on the terms that I would go to Terra Nova on the second pilgrimage. When I asked that my family 'win' lottery tickets to Terra Nova, they told me that my wife was already on the recruitment list, though she was pretty far down the line. Plus, it was apparently impossible to rig the lottery system."

"The work with the portal was dangerous and challenging, but enjoyable. I went by the name Stanley Corvaris, and when I read articles all about my accomplishments, I felt somewhat fulfilled. I wished you could've all been there to celebrate with me, but I was happy to have my colleagues to celebrate with. When Commander Taylor went through the portal, every person who played a part in working on the portal stood in the transfer room and watched him disappear into the past. We cheered immediately after, but then we grew very somber and quiet, not completely sure what had happened to him. It wasn't until Hope Plaza made contact a hundred and some days later that we celebrated. I was the big hero, it was all because of me. I was so proud."

"When I walked through the portal the day I came to Terra Nova, on the second pilgrimage, I wondered if I'd ever see you guys again. I had no idea if I would see my children again, or my wife. The worst thing about not seeing my family was that I missed out on most of your lives. I the last time I saw all of you, my kids were less than four feet tall. I didn't get to see you go through all the phases of growing up. I eventually gave up on ever seeing you kids again…until I saw you in the market, and my whole life was flipped upside down." We sat quietly for a while, soaking in the information.

"Maybe we flipped your life right side up," I said, looking at my dad. He smiled.

"I think you're right. You guys made it right."

"Wait…so…you guys have been in contact since before last night? I thought that your dad just showed up at the house last night." My mother asked, confused. Her voice and expression portrayed it clearly. _Shit, _I thought, cursing myself for forgetting about that vital piece of information.

"Yeah, we ran into dad in the market on the first day. He was the one we bought our fruit from that day." Jacob told her honestly, not realizing how bad things had quickly turned.

"And you never told me?" My mother replied, her voice wheedling and weak.

"Well, we-" my brother began, but was cut off as I kicked his shin under the table. He cursed and then glared at me.

"What was that for?"

"Muscle spasm," I replied coolly, my eyes relaying the message. He understood almost instantly.

"You what?" my mother asked, trying to get Jacob to finish his sentence. I sighed.

"Tell her," I said, speaking to Jacob.

"When we found each other in the market, we agreed that we wouldn't tell you for a while, so you could adjust to the transition to Terra Nova before throwing the 'dead' husband into the mix. We were going to wait a month or so, but there just was never a right time." My father said before Jacob could answer.

"Why would you do that?" my mother asked.

"It was such a transition to Terra Nova, and we didn't want you to get overwhelmed." I told her, meeting her eyes. Saying to myself, it had seemed a smart reason, but telling my mother, I felt like an idiot.

"Why would you think I'd get overwhelmed?" she asked.

"You just get really overwhelmed sometimes, Luce, and we didn't want you to go crazy from all the craziness at once." My father told her.

"That's asinine!" she snapped back, her voice pitching for a second.

"Luce, I'm sorry," my father replied, touching her hand.

"We're sorry," Jacob and I both said at the same time. My mother sniffled.

"It's…I dunno, it's okay, I guess. I mean, you were just doing what you guys thought was best, right?" she replied.

"Of course, Luce. We love you too much to let you be hurt." My father told her. He called her 'Luce' only when he was hurrying to do something, or he was very serious, and I assumed, based on the context of our conversation, that he was very serious. My mother looked at my brother, father, and I.

"It's going to take a while for all this to sink in, but it'll all work out in the end. I'll adjust to it all, I promise. We will get through this. We are a family, and a damn good one at that. Everything will work out in our favor, all in good time, I promise."

**I hope you liked it! This chapter was a little hard to write, mostly because I feel I need to get into the whole main problem of the story. The problem? I haven't decided what that "problem" will be. You know how a story goes; the first bit builds up to the whole storyline/problem, and then you go into that. However, I've come to the realization that I have no idea what to put in as that problem. I wrote down a couple ideas of what could happen, but they all kind of centered around having a sh!tload of crazy drama go down between Henry and Adriana, but I really want to write something different than that (I feel like there's been too much regular day-to-day interaction in the story thus far). I was thinking of something having to do with the Sixers (maybe a kidnapping?), but I'm just not that sure. **

**Do me a HUGE favor and throw out some ideas in a review? You have no idea (okay, maybe you do...) how much I need your help! PLEASE!**


	25. Chapter 25

**Only ten days for an update? That's gotta be a record! Okay, well, maybe not. But you get the idea! Even though I recieved literally no feedback from anyone, I have chosen a path for this story to follow! Get ready! I think it's going to be wonderful. This chapter just barely begins to skim the plot, but I promise it will get more in-depth soon! Enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Five

As the heat of summer gave way to the somewhat cooler weather of September, things slowly began to shift. The weather cooled to a shivering sixty degrees some days. For the climate we lived in, anything below seventy-five was abnormal. At the height of winter, I was told, temperatures would dip as low as fifty. I -as well as Ally and Henry- entered 11th grade, while Jenna, May, and Jacob entered their final year of school as seniors. My parents' relationship flourished wonderfully; they had evidently not lost any love for each other after all the years apart. The realization we'd called Terra Nova our home for nearly six months was incredible. There were some oak trees dotted around the colony, maybe ten or twelve, whose leaves were the first indication of autumn. The red, orange, and yellow leaves crunched under our feet as we made our way to school each morning, more leaves building up with each passing day. Wardrobes shifted from tank tops and flip flops to jeans and jackets, summer pastels and bright shades being replaced by neutrals and jewel tones. It was about a week before the scheduled arrival of the tenth pilgrimage when I found myself with a quiet unease to my actions. It was small things; the feeling someone was watching me when I was out and about by myself, unconsciously locking the doors when I was home alone, pulling my blankets close around me in a cocoon at night as I slept- small things that I didn't really think about. At first, I took it as my way of handling the stressors of a new school year until my friends began to notice.

"Has something been bothering you, Adriana?" Jenna asked one afternoon as we sat on the porch at her house, sipping apple cider as we did our homework.

"What d'you mean?" I asked, raising my mug to my mouth to take a drink.

"I dunno, you just seem…distracted. Like something's been on your mind lately." She replied. I shrugged.

"Nothing's really been bothering me," I told her, though I knew my eyes betrayed my words.

"Trouble in paradise?" she asked, referring to Henry. I shook my head and smiled briefly. If anything, Henry and I had never been better.

"No, we're fine. I don't know though…there's…I don't know…I've been feeling something weird lately." I said. She cocked her head as she took a drink from her cider.

"What're you talking about?" I shrugged to her question.

"It's just…I don't know. Lately I've felt like I'm being watched." I told her. I saw she was troubled, her eyes told me. Jenna, like me, could be read like a book through her eyes.

"Like, do you think somebody's been spying on you?" she asked, her voice hushed. I shrugged again.

"Kind of. Not in a creepy, pedophile-looking-in-the-window kind of watched, but more like when I'm outside alone, I just feel like there's always a pair of eyes on me." I replied.

"What do you think it is?...or _who_?"

"I honestly have no idea. Like I said, it's just a _feeling_. For all I know, I could have nothing to worry about." I told her.

"Yeah, it's probably nothing." Jenna replied, shrugging it off. We went back to our homework, sipping our cider quietly as we worked. We put aside our troubles, sure they were nothing.

* * *

><p>"Adriana, could you be a dear and help me bring some medical supplies to the rover from the infirmary?" my mother asked as I lie flopped on the couch. I groaned.<p>

"But mom, I was going to-" my words were cut off by her hand slicing through the air to silence me.

"The tenth will be here in a matter of hours, and I need the help of someone who knows what they're doing. Come on now, get up!" she reasoned, and I pulled myself into an upright position.

"Fine," I muttered. I had no problem helping my mother, but I had been too polite her the past few weeks; she needed a reminder that I was the teenager, not her equal.

"Come on then! Put some shoes on; we've got to go." I found a pair of white sneakers similar to my favorite grey ones I'd worn on the first day and slipped my feet into them. They'd been sitting under a pile of freshly washed blankets, still warm from the dryer. We left and hurried to the infirmary, where nurses and various personnel flitted about, organizing and removing various supplies. I followed my mother to her small office, where a clear box of sterile blue paper breathing masks sat on the floor, a piece of masking tape across the top spelling _Dr. Prevot _in my mother's script-y writing. Sitting atop the box was a Plex -my mother's, I knew- with a file open. It was a file of a woman, showing her age and description and other vital bits of information.

"Who's this?" I asked, handing the Plex to my mother. The woman had light brown skin -maybe of Indian or New Zealander descent- glossy black hair, and brown eyes. She smiled in her photo, and I could see in her eyes she held some sort of concern.

"Oh, she'll coming in on the tenth today. She'll be joining me here in the infirmary. One of the new doctors. Elisabeth Shannon's her name. She's from Chicago, like us."

"Do you know her?" I asked. My mother shook her head.

"I recognize the name vaguely, but she doesn't seem familiar. It says here she's bringing along her two children. One is seventeen, and the other's sixteen. Joshua and Madelyn. Maybe you'll meet them at school." She told me.

"Neat,"

"No more stalling…take that box, would you? Those are to help quickly distribute CO2 infusions to pilgrims, so it's very important we don't forget those." She told me, stowing the Plex in a drawer.

"Sure. Where're these going?" I asked.

"Go to the gate plaza; they'll direct you." she instructed. I nodded and left silently, leaving her to what she needed to do. I would return soon enough with empty hands for another trip.

* * *

><p>"Uh, where would these go?" I asked the solider in front of me, a little shyness in my voice at his face. He had tan skin and chocolate-brown hair, completely opposite of his icy blue eyes. His face was youthful and symmetrical, but he had the look of a seasoned officer. His tag read <em>M. Reynolds<em>.

"Take that to the third rover; that's the rover Dr. Prevot will ride in." he instructed. Like Henry, he appeared to by twenty-five or twenty-six, though his voice betrayed him as eighteen or nineteen at most. I thanked him quickly and went to the rover. I sat the box on the ground alongside a neat arrangement of things waited to be loaded. When I got back to the infirmary, my mother had another trip ready for me; this time it was a green backpack and a surprisingly light tank of CO2. At the plaza, I checked with the same solider again. The box had been loaded into the back by an intern waiting to load supplies. I handed off the things and went back for a third trip. On the way to the infirmary, I passed Henry, who carried a mean-looking gun in his arms.

" Can't stop to chat, I gotta get this to my dad!" he told me, only stopping to briefly kiss my lips.

"Meet me at the plaza so we can greet the newbies!" I yelled to him as we walked in opposite directions.

"'Kay!" he yelled back. In the infirmary, my mother had a large barrel of water ready for me.

"This is the last one, I promise. I'll come with you, though, since everything my responsibility's already there. I bet you could you use the help, though." she told me.

"Yeah, and thanks," I replied. We tipped the barrel on its side and each held onto one end by a handle. After a tough walk to the plaza, we managed to get the barrel to the correct rover. Just as we finished loading the barrel, we were approached by none other than Commander Nathaniel Taylor himself.

Standing at least six feet tall, Commander Taylor was an imposing force. He had scarred arms, sun-worn skin, piercing blue eyes, and a short, grey-white beard that made him seem just the slightest bit wild. Despite perfect posture and strict military garb, I could sense the slightest hunch in his back; the one sign of his age. I -like most in the colony- greatly respected Taylor, with just a little fear thrown into the mix. I doubted he remembered it, but I still held a little extra fear from the time he and his men nearly shot Henry and I as we came back from the jungle. That was so long ago, and there was so much he did that we were likely just a blip on his radar; they likely dealt with teenagers sneaking out on a regular basis.

"Dr. Prevot," he greeted.

"Hello, Commander Taylor," my mother replied. He looked at me and nodded silently in greeting. I nodded respectfully with my eyes to the ground, his eyes difficult to look into.

"I would like to know how preparation is going. Departure is in less than an hour, and we need all personnel ready to go beforehand for a quick briefing." He said. My mother turned to look at the rover briefly.

"Everything is nearly done; we just need one more-ah, here we are," she began as scrawny man in suspenders approached with the last tank of CO2. She took the tank from him and stood the tank on its end.

"Adriana, could you load this in with the rest of the tanks?" my mother asked. I nodded, not wanting to make a single mistake in front of Taylor.

"Sure thing," I replied obediently.

"_Adriana_...where do I recognize the name from?" Taylor said aloud as I was on the other side of the rover, loading the tank into the back end with the other tanks.

"She's my daughter, sir," my mother told him as I came around to my mother's side. He snapped his finger, a look of enlightenment flashing across his face.

"That's it! You were the one with Henry Rost. You know your daughter snuck out with a boy a couple months ago?" he said. My mother laughed briefly.

"Oh, I knew. They barely knew each other at the time!" my mother told him. I rolled my eyes.

"_Mom…_" I began.

"He's a good kid, you'll like him. His father is one of my most trusted men." He replied. My mom snorted.

"_Oh, _yeah, we know he's a good kid. Adriana seems to like him… right, Adri?"

"_Shut up.._" I muttered.

"What?" Taylor asked, a curious smile spreading across his face, his eyes lightening up.

"Well, they're _dating_." My mother told him before I could stop her. I slapped my hand to my face in embarrassment, while Taylor's eyebrows nearly touched the top of his forehead.

"What a coincidence! I've known the boy since his second day in this colony, and I'll say you've got superior taste. He's been raised well." he told me. I glanced through my fingers before putting my hand down.

"Commander! Could I have a word?" the voice of Dr. Malcolm Wallace appeared before he did.

"Malcolm," my mother greeted. I smiled and nodded.

"Dr. Prevot, Adriana," he greeted in response, and then turned to the Commander. "Sir, I'd like a word."

"Very well," Taylor told him and glanced to us. "Nice chatting with you guys. Doctor, meet at my rover with everyone else. Adriana…stay out of trouble with Henry. Or rather, keep him out of trouble." He said in parting to us.

"What now, Malcolm?" he asked the slightly flustered scientist as the two walked away. It was known around the colony that Malcolm Wallace and Commander Taylor had always had a strange relationship; Taylor talked to the scientist as though he were always underfoot with unnecessary questions and concerns. The way I saw it, Malcolm was just naturally flustered by everything not exactly his way. Though both always seemed to get under the other's skin, they appeared to have a somewhat friendly rapport. I looked at my mother, seething anger in my eyes.

"_Why would you say that?_" I hissed. My mother chuckled and went back to work, organizing little things.

"Oh, sweetie, calm down. It's just Commander Taylor." She told me.

"_Just _Commander Taylor? _JUST _Commander Taylor?! Mom, you're delusional." I replied. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Adriana, chill out. Nothing's going to happen."

"Mom, you don't understand how much you just embarrassed me. Taylor's kind of the president of the colony, and you basically just told the president about my private life."

"Adriana, trust me, it's no big deal. You say private life like I said something about you and Henry's sex life." My mouth dropped to the ground. I couldn't even believe my mother's words.

"How would you know anything about our sex life?" I asked. Her eyes widened with alarm.

"I was joking. I didn't realize…that you guys are, uh…"

"No, mother. We haven't had sex…good god, what kind of person do you think I am?" My mother narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"The kind that can joke with her daughter and expects her daughter to be honest about _everything_." She replied. I turned to walk away, looking over my shoulder as I distanced myself from my mother.

"I'll be honest, then. Even if I _were_ to have sex with Henry, _I wouldn't tell you_."

* * *

><p>"Oh god, that's rich. I can't believe you told mom that!" Jacob said through fits of hysterical laughter. We sat on the floor in the living area of the house playing cards. The convoy to the portal had left half an hour earlier, and wasn't expected to be back until four o'clock, three hours away.<p>

"She just had this shocked look on her face, like she couldn't even believe I'd said what I'd said." I replied.

"Do you think she's pissed off?"

"Oh, maybe a little, but I think it's more annoyance than anything."

"It is kind of weird to think about, though." He told me.

"About what?"

"I dunno, Henry's one of the guys I'm closest to, and you're my sister, so I'm kind of in the weird friend-dating-my-sister situation."

"Oh, yeah, I understand. I've always kind of sensed that it makes you feel a little weird, so I try to limit the kissing and whatnot when you're around." I told my brother. He rolled his eyes.

"Jesus, I can't believe we're talking about this kind of stuff, you know? I mean, a year ago, you and I would have _never _even said the word 'kiss' in front of each other."

"It's weird, but I think it's good. Siblings should be able to talk about anything to each other."

"Yeah, I agree. I like that we're more open with each other…though you can spare me the details of your, uh…_girl_ problems…if you know what I mean." Jacob replied. I smirked briefly. One the few things I would talk about that Jacob absolutely detested hearing about was _that_ time of the month. Whenever it was brought up in conversation, it was usually just to bother him.

"If that's what you want to say, bro. I know you love helping me decide whether to use a-"

"Ahh! Blahblahblahblah, can't hear you!" he said, putting his hands over his ears. I chuckled.

"What're you going to do some day when you and May get married and have kids? How are you going to be able to watch her have your children?" I asked, half-serious.

"Adriana," he answered flatly.

"What?"

"Stop being a dumbass," he told me, a hint of joking in his voice. I leaned over and quickly poked him in the ribs. He jumped in surprise, then looked at me.

"Real funny, ha ha HA!" he said sarcastically before poking me back.

"Leave me alone, you loser!" I told him, scrambling away. I found a pair of shoes and went to the door. Gracie bounded over to me from her bed, where she'd been trying to sleep.

"Sorry, G, not this time. You get to hang out with Jacob this time!" I told my dog, patting her on the head.

"Where're you going?"

"Jenna's. Maybe _she_ will be nice to me." I said before shutting the door.

* * *

><p>"Bro, you're not going to believe what I've got to tell you!" Jenna told me as we poked through her kitchen for a snack. She had been home alone, and was overjoyed when I showed up at her door by surprise.<p>

"What?" I asked, looking in the fridge.

"So you remember that asshole Kristen, right?" I pulled a bright red apple out of a compartment and looked at my friend.

"Yeah, why?" I quickly sliced the apple in half, removing the core skillfully. Jenna took a half and bit into it.

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah, tell me already!" I bit into my apple, savoring its sweetness.

"Kristen's _pregnant_!" I nearly choked on the food in my mouth, spewing it directly onto my friend. I looked at her in complete, utter disbelief, my mouth hanging wide open. Wiping a small chunk of half-chewed apple off her cheek, Jenna nodded.

"Yup. I saw her at school yesterday."

"Did you say anything?"

"Nah, there's nothing I want to say her."

"Whose kid is it?" I asked, suddenly very curious.

"Apparently she's still with that creepy old man," I shuddered at the memory of the old man on the floor.

"That's gross. Do you know how far along she is?"

"Judging by the size of her stomach, probably five or six months."

"So you guys were probably together when she got pregnant." I replied darkly.

"Yeah…oh god, that means I might've…uh, never mind." Jenna looked slightly disturbed.

"You might've what?" I asked, taking another bite of my apple. She looked at me, embarrassment in her eyes.

"It's stupid,"

"What?"

"We were being stupid…" She mumbled, looking at her feet.

"What?!" I was dying to know what bothered her.

"Do I really have to tell you?" my friend was extremely embarrassed by something.

"You might as well," I replied. She regarded me gravely and sighed deeply.

"So, as you know, Kristen and I were together for a while. We were really comfortable around each other and we felt our relationship was restrained, 'cause our parents had told us we had to restrain ourselves. Okay, well, _her_ parents. My moms knew there wasn't anything really bad that could happen, so they basically told us to do whatever. But that's besides the point. So anyways, we felt our relationship was restrained, and we didn't want it to, so we started to, uh…how do I put it…we started to…uh..."

"Really?" I didn't need to hear the end of the sentence to understand where she was going. She nodded to my question.

"For the last six or seven months of the relationship, we, uh…you know…a lot."

"You said her parents tried to control you guys. How did you get around that?"

"My house, if my parents weren't home. At school, we'd just go to the annex during lunch."

"What annex?" I asked quizzically.

"You know the big fern planter box in the corner of the courtyard at school?" she asked. I thought, trying to remember. It came to me: a large, tan planter box three feet tall, filled with various large leafy ferns.

"Yeah," I answered.

"Well, there's a metal trap door in the middle of the box. It can't been seen from the courtyard, but if you climb in the planter and open it, there's a ladder. Go down the ladder, and there's a short tunnel and a door into the annex. The annex itself is just this concrete room with a carpet floor, but we spent a couple weeks bringing stuff down there to make it nicer. We hung up tapestries on the walls to keep in heat, and we found an old space heater to keep it warm when we were there. After we brought some lamps and batteries and stuff down, it was a lot better."

"You can stop if you don't feel comfortable," I told her. In honesty, I was intrigued to hear what kind of mischief she got into. Sweet, innocent looking Jenna had never gave me any reason suspect her of such shenanigans. Yet, at the same time, I could tell that my friend didn't like talking about it.

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course." She relaxed instantly at my words.

"I'm not proud of it, you know," she confessed.

"I'm sure,"

"I mean, sure, it was fun at the time, but looking back now, I feel like an idiot." She bit her apple, chewing thoughtfully.

"It's okay, Jenna. Shit happens, and people make stupid, stupid mistakes." I told her. She smiled and bit off another hunk of apple.

"Thank you," she mumbled with garbled words. Smiling, I put my arms around her in a hug.

"You're welcome. I'll be here for you if you need me." I let go of her after a second and took a bite out of my apple.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Uh..a quarter to four. Any reason?"

"The tenth is scheduled to arrive at the colony in fifteen minutes." I told her. I saw a glint of mischief in Jenna's eye.

"Should we go harass the newbies?"

"Wasn't my original plan, but sure, we'll incorporate that. Can't go wrong with mischief-making, right?" I replied. She smiled and nodded.

"You can never go wrong with mischief-making," she replied.

* * *

><p>"When will they be here?" I asked Henry, who sat to my left. Jenna sat to my right. We sat on a bench in the plaza surrounding the gate amongst our fellow colonists, anxiously anticipating the arrival of a new group of people. We all were searching the tree line with our eyes, looking for any sign of movement.<p>

"It's four-oh-seven. They should be here…maybe there was some sort of hitch in the plans." Henry said, looking at his watch.

"Sixer attack?" Jenna asked, her eyes never leaving their post.

"I doubt it," I replied. In the recent weeks, the Sixers had to seemed to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. Not a single ambush or threat. Nothing. It were as though they'd all been eaten by carnos.

"Stowaway, maybe?" I suggested.

"It's happened before," Henry murmured, an intense look of concentration on his face.

"I doubt it. That's-" Jenna began, but was cut off by a loud shout from somewhere in the plaza.

"WE'VE GOT PILGRIMS!" There was a flurry of movement as everyone who'd been milling about rushed to the fence to watch. We stood up on the bench, shading our eyes from the sun to watch the brown-grey mass of people grow larger. The air in the plaza was electric; these people would be our new neighbors, co-workers, schoolmates, and were all essential in the building of the new future that stood at its foundation all around us.

**Hmm...where could our little story be going? Tell me your best guesses in a review!**


	26. Chapter 26

**And the plot continues a little more in this chapter! I am dying to write some key scenes for this story, so I'll try to do more writing. I am so excited for the direction I've decided to go in, and I hope you are, too. **

**Two things about the plot:**

**1. It's awsome**

**2. It includes members of the original cast from the show!**

Chapter Twenty-Six

They stood in a large throng in the plaza, their faces a mixture of awe, fascination, and fear. There were nearly one hundred of them, as well as numerous medical personnel. Commander Taylor, in his powerful words, had just finished delivering the welcome speech word-for-word as he had six months earlier when I stood where these new colonists now stood. I, as well as Henry and Jenna, stood just outside the plaza with other colonists in greeting. Soldiers stood waiting to escort colonists to their new homes, ready and alert. Amongst the group stood Henry's older brother Tyler, who I'd only spoken to twice since the overly-awkward meeting at Henry's house months ago. The military personnel who'd escorted the group to the colony seemed nervous and on edge.

"What's up with them?" I asked, looking at Henry. His brow was crumpled a little in thought. He shrugged in response, his eyes looking through the crowd from our place standing on the bench.

"I bet there was a stowaway," Jenna said. I looked at her.

"Maybe, but think of how difficult it would be to sneak into Terra Nova."

"It's happened before," Jenna reminded me.

"The chances of a stowaway are so unlikely that we might as well not even consider it. My guess is that there was some falter in military procedure. Maybe a sonic mine randomly went off or something…but my guess is as good as yours." Henry finally spoke.

"Do either of you see my mom? She might have a clue." I asked.

"There," Jenna pointed to my mother's tiny shape, deep in the thick of the newbies as she chatted with a woman. I jumped down.

"You're going down there?" Henry asked.

"Yeah,"

"We'll re-group later, then. I forgot to do some chores, so I gotta go do that before my dad gets home, or he'll be pissed. Pilgrimage days make him really stressed." Henry replied, jumping down.

"What about you, Jenna?" I asked, looking at my friend.

"I'm gonna observe all this," she replied. I nodded and turned to Henry, quickly kissing his lips before heading into the crowd.

"Good luck," he said, half-yelling.

"See you later," I shouted. I slid into the crowd, slipping between bewildered colonists. Some stared in awe at my rich-hued purple shirt, a color most of them probably hadn't seen in years, if ever. I found my way to my mother, who stood chatting with a woman, two kids my age, and a young girl. The woman was vaguely familiar.

"Mom," I said in greeting.

"Hi dear," she replied, smiling. She looked at the woman. "Adriana, this is Dr. Elizabeth Shannon. Dr. Shannon, this is my daughter." She introduced, jogging my memory. This was the woman who my mother had spoken of, the doctor from Chicago. The two older kids standing with her must've been Madelyn and Joshua; I didn't know who the younger one was.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I greeted her, sticking my hand out. She shook my hand with a smile.

"It's lovely to meet you, Adriana," she replied with a British accent. "These are my kids." She motioned to the three kids.

"I'm Maddy!" the older girl said quickly, her voice slightly nervous. She had sparkly brown eyes similar in color to Henry's, very light brown skin, and dark brown hair. She was about my height, but slim and a little uncoordinated. I smiled and waved in greeting.

"Nice to meet you. How old are you?" I replied.

"I'm sixteen," she told me.

"Cool! Maybe we'll have some classes together at school." I replied friendly enough. I knew we wouldn't, since she was new, but I didn't want her to dread her face at school. There was a geeky quirk to her that I liked; it seemed very natural and relatable.

"I'm Josh," the guy introduced himself, holding his hand out. I shook it politely, feeling a little strange touching another guy's hand. He was a little taller than his sister, with dark brown hair and bluish eyes. He reminded me of Jacob quite a lot. I figured their father had light skin and blue eyes, based on his appearance. "How old are you?"

"I turned sixteen a couple months ago," I replied, smiling.

"Cool. I'm seventeen." He told me. I nodded and looked at the little girl, who held her mother's hand and looked at my shyly from her brown eyes. She looked like a younger version of her sister.

"And what's your name?" I asked. She looked up at her mother, who smiled and nodded.

"Well, my name's Zoe. What's your name?" she replied, smiling hesitantly.

"It's very nice to meet you Zoe! My name is Adriana." I told her, sticking my hand out for her to shake. She shook it and smiled. I looked at my mother, who smiled approvingly.

"I understand your family is also from Chicago," Dr. Shannon said to my mother and I. My mother nodded.

"We are. We lived only about half a mile from Hope Plaza." My mother replied.

"We lived very close to Hope Plaza, too. A ten-minute train ride, in fact." Dr. Shannon said.

"It was so cold there," Zoe said, making us laugh.

"Even in the summer?" I asked her. Her eyes widened and she nodded quickly.

"Yeah! It never got warm and it's always really dirty." She told me.

"I like this place much more. Don't you?" I asked. She smiled and nodded. Her sweet smile made me happy, the look of enlightenment crossing her face absolutely precious.

"Elizabeth," a man said, coming up on Dr. Shannon's side. He had dark, short hair, fair skin, and blue eyes, which were darkened by his grave expression. _And here's papa Shannon_.

"Daddy, where were you?" Zoe asked.

"I was talking to some people. Elizabeth, we need to go talk to the Commander." He replied. Dr. Shannon glanced at us and then back to her husband.

"Sure, but Jim, I want to introduce you to Dr. Lucille Prevot. She'll be one of my co-workers in the infirmary." She told him. He smiled and shook my mother's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you," he replied politely.

"Likewise," my mother said courteously.

"This is Dr. Prevot's daughter, Adriana." Dr. Shannon introduced. I automatically shook my hand out and smiled. He shook my hand quickly.

"Nice to meet you," I told him. He smiled and nodded his head in response.

"Taylor wants to see you," a tall solider ordered, appearing at our side silently.

"I think I'll let you sort everything out, Elizabeth. I'll see you at work though. Good luck!" My mother told her, waving good bye to leave the family to their own business. I followed my mother away.

"They seem like very nice people," my mother commented after we'd been walking towards our house for a while.

"They do. I like that older girl Maddy; she seems really nice. Though, the one thing I'm wondering about: how do they have three kids?"

* * *

><p>"'<em>In 2143, at only ten years of age, Madelyn Shannon was the winner of the National B, a national spelling bee competition that contained contestants ranging in age from tens to seventy-four years of age.' <em>" Henry read off the giant screen in front of us. We sat quietly in The Eye, which was, really, the heart of the colony. The room was dark, and we had been researching the Shannon family for nearly half an hour.

"Look here, on the dad's bio:_ in early 2147, during an investigation by the _Chicago Population Control_, Jim Shannon assaulted an officer and was sent to prison to serve a six-year sentence at Golad Prison_." I read, chills going down my spine as I spoke. I'd heard terrible stories about Golad; it was where the worst of society was sent. I looked at Henry. "How is he here then, if he's been serving a six-year sentence at Golad?"

"Maybe he was able to get out early on good behavior," Henry murmured, searching the screen for some indication. I look at him, unimpressed.

"Henry, this guy went to Golad for attacking an officer. They're not going to let him out on good behavior." I replied flatly.

"Fine. Maybe he broke out?" he suggested. I laughed darkly, somewhat amused by his lack of knowledge about Golad. He had lived so far away from Chicago, with his family in Texas.

"Golad is the modern-day equivalent of Alcatraz," I told him.

"Okay, so he probably didn't break out. How did he get here, then?" Henry asked. For the first time, I noticed the slight tinge of a Texan accent in his voice. Up until then, I'd never once noticed it.

"Since when did you have an accent?" I asked, slightly amused at this discovery.

"What're you talking about?" he asked. I smirked.

"Whad'r ya talkin' about?" I replied, mocking his voice. He shook his head.

"Eye doo NOT sound like THAT!" he said, in what I believed was an attempt to mock how I normally talked.

"Whale, yer reely funnay!" I replied, exaggerating his voice even more.

"So…are you two just gonna sit here and mock each other, or are you actually going to use The Eye?" said a new voice. May and Jenna stood in the door, trying to contain their laughter.

"We were going to come do some research for school," Jenna said, hardly able to hide her smile.

"We were actually using The Eye, but kind of got sidetracked…" I said, laughing.

"Obviously," May said, looking at the screen. "What are you guys looking at?" she asked, walking into the room. Jenna came in as well, silently searching the screen.

"We were researching a family that just came on the tenth. They have three kids with them." Henry said.

"That's weird," May replied.

"The mom's a doctor, and she's working with my mom. You know what's even more interesting? They were from Chicago, too." I added.

"And the dad was supposed to be serving a six-year sentence at Golad Prison that started in 2147." Henry chimed in.

"I knew it! I bet he was a stowaway!" Jenna said, snapping her fingers as her face lit up.

"Search: Golad Prison escape 2149," May commanded. The giant computer began to sort through thousands of files until it came up with one singular article, dated September 26th, 2149. There were a couple of dark photographs attached to the article.

"Holy crap, that's from today! Open article." I said. The computer brought the article to full screen.

"Read," Jenna commanded. There was a quick beep, and then the computer began in a cool, female voice.

"_STILL DEVELOPING: In Chicago, local and government officials are completely baffled by the disappearance of prisoner Jim Shannon. Approximately two years through a six-year sentence for assaulting a Population Control officer in 2147, Shannon's cell was found with a large hole cut through the door, presumably the work of a laser. When security footage was reviewed afterward, Shannon was observed nearly a dozen times on camera. _

"_While his whereabouts are unknown, a stowaway on the most recent pilgrimage to Terra Nova has prompted many rumors that he entered the time portal, and has, subsequently, gone to Terra Nova. Security forces in Terra Nova were contacted within minutes of the event, but poor reception made the transaction unusable. Though the likelihood of such an event transpiring is nearly eight-hundred-thousand to one, extra caution has been taken to ensure the safety of all."_

"Enlarge photos," I commanded, the computer following my order almost instantly. The first was a screen grab off a grainy security camera, a tall figure wearing a guard's uniform striding down a hallway. The second was a similar photo from a different angle. The third was a mug shot of Jim Shannon, his brown hair cropped short and his expression sickly and grim.

"Oh, that's just creepy." Henry muttered.

"That's really weird." I replied, my voice distant as I examined the photo.

"Well, you guys can do more investigating later. We've got The Eye now." Jenna said, ushering us towards the door.

"Okay, okay, fine. We'll go. Have fun studying." I said as the metal door slid shut behind us. It was a strange situation; this guy was in prisoner, yet, there he was, right in Terra Nova._ How is that even possible_?

* * *

><p>"He doesn't really seem too sketchy. Maybe it was a plea bargain or something. Like, everyone was really divided on whether he was guilty or innocent, so they just had him plead guilty for a reduced sentence." Henry suggested as we walked towards my house.<p>

"I don't know…I'm still really suspicious. It's just -oh, I don't know- I don't really think I'd want to be alone with him. He just seems creepy." I replied.

"Adriana, I'm pretty sure you're making a deal out of nothing. I'm sure that's he's a perfectly normal person."

"Henry, you don't know that." I replied as we stepped onto the porch of my house. I turned the knob and pushed the door open, not at all expecting what was inside.

Sitting on the floor, the girls from that new family, Maddy and Zoe, played Cat's Cradle. On the couch, Jacob and that new guy Josh sat chatting like old friends. I was astounded by similar they looked; both had light eyes, fair skin, and dark hair. My mother and Dr. Shannon stood in the kitchen drinking coffee as they talked.

"Whoah, uh, what's going on?" I asked, looking at my mother.

"Oh, hello dear. Dr. Shannon and her kids came over to chat. We wanted to get to know each other a little better before starting work." My mother replied.

"Hi Mrs. Prevot!" Henry said cheerily, waving to my mother. Her face lit up at the sight of Henry.

"How are you, Henry? You haven't been over in AGES!" she replied.

"Mom, he came over last week." I said flatly, trying to hide my amusement. Considering how suspicious my mother was of Henry when she first met him, she had grown to really love having Henry around. It was almost a little too much like, as though she thought he was her equal, and nothing more than another friend.

"Exactly, Adriana! Ages!" she told me. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, man! Come meet Josh." My brother called. Henry walked over, sat down, and began to chat with Josh. I walked to Maddy & Zoe, smiling in greeting as I sat on the floor next them.

"Hey," Maddy greeted.

"Hi Adriana," Zoe said eagerly. I was surprised she already knew my name.

"Hi, you guys," I replied in greeting. "How're you liking Terra Nova so far?

"There's so many flowers," Zoe told me. I laughed and smiled.

"Too many, if you ask me." I replied. "What about you, Maddy?"

"Adriana, I don't know if this is weird, but all day I've felt like I'm being watched. You know what I'm talking about?" She told me. My heart skipped a beat at her words. I flashed my eyes at Zoe, relaying a silent message of _we need to talk_. Maddy looked at her sister.

"Zoe, how about you go get Josh and his new friends to play Cat's Cradle with you? I'm sure they'd love it." She suggested.

"Good idea!" the little girl jumped up and raced to her brother. I stood up and quickly slipped into my room. Maddy followed behind, sliding the door shut quietly. She sat at the end of my bed as I fumbled through a drawer for something important. I brought the small, pleather-bound book to her, sitting on the bed beside her. A pink bookmark stuck out the top. She turned to look at me, holding the book in her hands.

"What is this?" she asked.

"My journal. Start at the bookmark and read to the end." I instructed. A little hesitantly, she pulled off the elastic band that held the book shut and went to the bookmarked page. As she began to read, her facial expression was enough to convey her dread. I thought of a couple entries that were especially chilling.

_**Thursday, September 18**__**th**__**, Year Seven**_

_It's been happening for almost three weeks now, and it happened again today, all day. All day I felt that ominous feeling of dread. I don't understand why, but I swear it's like someone's watching me whenever I'm out and about. I don't want to tell anyone at all, not even Ally. I know I already told Jenna, but I wish I hadn't. I don't want her to worry about me. What worries me most is that I have no way of knowing if there really is somebody watching me. I wish I knew what the hell was going on, because it's really starting to creep me out._

_Adriana_

_**Saturday, September 20**__**th**__**, Year Seven**_

_Oh god, I'm really freaked out. I was walking home from soccer today, and I swear there was a guy walking the __exact__ same route to wherever he was going as I was. He had a Plex in his hands, and he was typing a lot. At one point, I heard him talking on a comm. to someone. The voice of whoever he was talking to said something along the lines of, "Okay, get back to base before anyone notices anything!". At the next street intersection, I turned left instead of right and made a big loop around the colony before going home. I didn't see the guy again, thankfully._

_Adriana_

Maddy looked up at me in utter disbelief. From the look on her face, from the size of her expressive brown eyes, I knew that everything I'd wrote about was all too familiar to her.

"So you _do _know what I'm talking about," she breathed, her whole body seeming to deflate in worry.

"It's been going on for a while," I confided. She nodded in confirmation.

"Me too. I didn't say it earlier, but I feel like I've been watched before, even back in 2149." She replied, making my blood icy.

"Keep a journal of it all. Write down everything; it helps to keep you sane." I told her.

"Where would I find a book like this?" she asked.

"They sell them at most markets. I got mine for only a couple terras."

"Right, terras. Not dollars. Okay." She replied, stuttering a little. I leaned over and gave her a little hug.

"It's okay. Things will be fine, I promise. We'll work through this together, and it'll eventually go away. I promise."

**So mysterious, huh? I'd say so. I'm very excited to write more, so I think I'll get back to work on chapter 27! Oh, and while you're at it, drop me a review!**


	27. Chapter 27

**And, here is another chapter fresh off the presses! Sorry it took so long! School has been killing me this year, and it seems I never have time to write. I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"Adriana, why've you seemed so worried lately? You always seem really tense." Henry asked as we sat in the cafeteria eating lunch. I stabbed at some lettuce with my fork, shrugging.

"I don't know. I didn't realize I seemed tense." I replied tersely, glancing at Henry. His eyes were full of worry, and I couldn't bring myself to break his gaze. I knew I'd been a little distant in the recent weeks. What with the whole 'being watched' thing, I had grown a little fearful of everything. The only time I ever felt one hundred percent safe was when I was at my house with Henry; he was the only one I knew would protect me above all else, yet I'd never once said a word to him about my worries.

"Adriana, I know you too well to know when you're not telling the truth." He told me. I sighed and took his hands, unable to hide my dread.

"Henry, there's this thing that's been going on for a while…" I began. "I…I feel like I'm always…being watched." I lowered my voice, putting my lips next to his ear for a second so I could say it quietly. He looked at me with an intense look of worry.

"What d'you mean? Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded a little.

"I mean, I'm not in any physical harm –or at least, I don't think I am. But I just always have this feeling that someone is watching me when I'm out and about." I replied. His eyebrows were furrowed with concern.

"Adriana, this is nothing mess around with. A stalker-"

"Henry, I don't have a stalker," I cut in.

"Okay, fine, but if you've never felt this until recently, there's probably something going on." He told me.

"What should I do, Henry?"

"We should talk to my dad. He's one of Taylor's most trusted men, and he could get you a couple of security guys and-" he was cut off by a brief kiss.

"Henry, calm down. It's fine. I'm fine, I promise." I told him, meeting his passionate, soulful eyes.

"Adriana, I can't. The idea that you're being followed around scares me. I don't want to see you hurt." He said, pulling me into a hug.

"Henry…" I breathed, inhaling the comforting scent of his clothing that had become so familiar. "I really don't want you to be worried. I only told you so we would be on the same page; I never intended for you to be this concerned."

"Fine, I'll try to not be so worried, but can you promise me one thing, Adriana?" he said, releasing me from his hug.

"What?"

"If anything else happens, you've got to tell me. I won't say anything to anyone else, but I want to know everything." He replied.

"Okay," I said simply, forcing a smile. He took a bite of his sandwich, talking with his mouth half-full.

"So, what was up with you at practice last week? You couldn't even kick the ball straight!" he asked, half-joking. His words broke the tension of our conversation. I laughed and rolled my eyes.

"Henry, you're _nobody_ to be talking!" I replied, punching him in the arm as the end-of-the-day bell rang.

* * *

><p>"<em>You idiot; why would you let her see you?" the woman hissed. The man she spoke to stood in front of her nervously. His eyes wandered to the menacing spears that hung on the makeshift structure's wall behind her.<em>

"_I didn't try to. I was scouting for the best places to observe her on her route home. I was doing fine until-" he began._

"_Until WHAT?" the woman cut in._

"_Until _you _called me over the comm. to check in. She kept looking over her shoulder after that, and I knew my cover was blown."_

"_That's not my fault. You should've set your comm. to silent mode." She snapped._

"_Okay," the man replied, not wanting to argue with his easy-to-anger leader. _

"_Anything else to report, then?" she asked tersely. He gulped._

"_One of our younger Watchers saw her talking to him today at the school while they ate. He looked really concerned, apparently." The woman cursed at his response. _

"_And now's she's gone and told her little boyfriend everything, and he'll go talk to daddy, I'm sure." She said, not speaking to anyone in particular._

"_No, there's no way to kn-"_

"_Actually, there is. It's called common sense, something every idiot in this group seems to lack, including you. If she told him anything pertaining to this…situation…then we're SOL. If he fears for her safety even a little, he'll go right to his brown nosed father, and it'll inevitably get to Taylor, and then our whole operation with be ruined." She cut in again, glaring at him with annoyance._

"_Fine. What now, then?" he asked her rhetorically, a twinge of irritation in his voice. She could be so temperamental; if it wasn't for the money, he would've never came to the godforsaken hole that was 85 million years in the past._

"_Send for Lucas. We need everything done and ready for the next pilgrimage if we're going to scrap the original plans."_

* * *

><p>"Maddy, how were you able to do the problem so fast?" I asked, glancing from my friend to the math book in front of me. She smiled her awkward, quirky smile that made me want to laugh. We had spent the last hour at her house doing homework, competing to see who could finish math problems first.<p>

"Adriana, it's not really _that _difficult…" she replied, taking a sip of water from the glass next to her own textbook.

"Fine, I want a re-match," I told her. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

"You're just a sore loser!"

"Nuh-uh!" I said, laughing.

"Okay, whatever. We'll skip that and come back to it later."

"So…" Maddy began, reading the next problem. "we have to find the limit of the equation."

"Ugh," I groaned. She smiled.

"I know, I hate limits too." She said.

"They're easy to do, they're just…" I began, trailing off.

"Tedious," she finished. I nodded.

"Exactly. I think you're better at math than I am, though."

"Eh, I don't think so."

"You're a math wizard, Maddy," I told her. She smiled and shrugged.

"I guess. It all makes sense to me. I'm just really good at it, but I don't even try to." I laughed a little.

"People at your old school probably loved that you were so smart," I replied, smiling. Maddy's eyes darkened a little.

"Not really,"

"What d'you mean?" I asked, looking at her. She wouldn't meet my gaze.

"Being smart wasn't really a good thing for me," she confessed, finally regarding me.

"Why not?"

"At home…er, in Chicago, no one at my school liked that I was really smart. They thought it was embarrassing, and called me a geek and nerd and stuff. Nobody wanted to be my friend. People ignored me unless they wanted answers on a test." She told me, pain in her eyes. I was speechless; she was so pretty and smart that she seemed like she'd have been popular, like how May was. May was one of the most intelligent people I had known in Chicago, and she had been the most 'popular' at school. I figured now was the time to tell her my story, my entire story, as I had never told anyone in Terra Nova. Not even Henry or my father knew the truth.

"Can I…tell you something?" I asked. She nodded stoically.

"When I was a baby, I was a cute little chubby thing. As I got older, I never stopped being chubby. I went from being a cute little chubby girl to an awkward overweight girl. I was always really short, like, usually at least six or seven inches shorter than everyone else. When I was ten, I weighed almost a hundred and forty pounds, but because I was only around four-eleven, I looked like a marshmallow with legs and arms and a head. Because I only had, like, two friends, I spent most of my time reading. It let me escape to another world where people liked each other and weren't mean. When I got bored with reading other people's writing, I started making my own stories, scribbling little bits here and there, but mostly storing it in my head.

"All that mental stimulation really developed my brain, and from a young age I was reading books two or three grade levels above my own. By the time I was in seventh grade, my mom had noticed my increased mental capacity. She had me take an IQ test, and they found out that at age twelve, I had the IQ of a college-age student. I don't know why I did, but the next day I went to school and bragged about it to my peers. Their response? I got shit thrown at me for a week and people cursed at me in the hallways. I would come home crying, do my homework while crying, and then go into my room and sleep for the rest of the night. I hardly ate for that week because I was too consumed with my own grief to remember to eat.

"I lost nearly ten pounds that week, but I'm honestly not sure why it was so much. When I realized I'd lost that weight, something snapped in me, and I was like, 'You know what? Whatever. If people don't like me, then they suck.' I just didn't care anymore about what people thought of me, and I just did my own thing. I gained all the weight back after like, two weeks, but I didn't really care. I just focused on my studies and really excelled in school.

"I remember the turning point was one day in seventh grade a few months after the IQ test, when I found a letter in my backpack. It said nobody gave a damn that I was smart, that most were actually kind of jealous, but that my being overweight merely gave everyone an excuse to bully me. Basically, people tried using reverse psychology on me; they wanted me to think my weight wasn't the issue, even though it was, but that my brain was the issue, so that I would dumb myself down so I'd be fat _and_ stupid.

"After that, I decided to push myself both physically and mentally. I signed up for an intense after-school academics program, and I decided to get healthier. I would walk to and from anywhere I went -school, the academic program, wherever- and I would buy whatever fruits and vegetables I could find. The air in Chicago sucked, but I had a mom for a doctor, so I wasn't all that concerned. I got an apple every couple weeks, if I was lucky. Even though I never lost a single ounce, I felt healthier every day. I had more energy and a better attitude.

"By the time I had finished eight grade, nearly a year and a half after finding the note, I was reading college texts for the fun of it, because they were at the easy end of my spectrum of reading ability. I had to stop walking around town like crazy because I'd developed a very light case of pneumonia, and my mom was worried. That summer, the summer before ninth grade, I completely changed. I don't know why puberty didn't hit me until I was almost fourteen, but it hit me good. Over the summer, I went from five foot to five-seven and I lost fifty-one pounds; I went from two-twenty-five to only one-seventy-four. This feels weird to say, but I went from a 44B to a 38D.

"Everything that happened to me that summer really changed my outlook on life. I'd been happy enough with my life before, but when school started again and most people didn't recognize me at first, my confidence shot through the roof. People didn't give me crap about anything anymore, and I was finally completely happy with my life. For the first time in my life people didn't talk to me because they were actually a little intimidated; their plan had back fired…I was hot _and _smart." I finished the story, out of breath. It was immensely relieving to finally tell somebody outside my immediately family my story.

"Adriana…I never realized…I always assumed you were one of the popular kids at your school." Maddy told me after a moment. I laughed dryly and smiled a little.

"It's fine. If anything, that's a compliment. Until you said anything, I assumed the exact same thing about you." I admitted. She grinned and laughed.

"I guess we're just a couple of nerds, then!" she replied. True to the nature of teenage girls, we began to giggle at our conversation.

"I'm glad we were able to talk about this. None of my other friends know about the full extent of my past, really, so it's nice to have someone I can connect with on that level." I told her after we'd managed to subdue our laughter.

"I feel the same. I don't really know that many people just because I'm still pretty new, but nobody I know went through anything like I did." Maddy explained. I looked down at our math homework, now finished because of our race to finish first.

"What should we do now that we're done with homework?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I dunno. Zoe's still at school, and Josh is at work, even though he got grounded." She replied.

"He got grounded?" I asked in confirmation. She nodded and smirked.

"You know Skye Tate, right?" she asked. I nodded in reply; Skye was in one of my classes at school, and I'd become slightly acquainted with her. Though we didn't really talk that much, she seemed friendly enough.

"Yeah, why?"

"Okay, so Josh met Skye on the day of the pilgrimage, and they went into the jungle with some of Skye's friends to a moonshine still and ended up getting stranded out there because Sixers stole the power cells to their rover." She explained. I cracked up, unable to control myself.

"Oh god, wait 'til Henry hears about this! That's rich!" I said, chuckling. Maddy smiled, equally amused.

"I'd be surprised if he didn't already know; Josh and Henry really seem to be hitting it off." She replied.

"Our brothers really seem to get along well, too," I told her. Maddy's brown eyes bugged out of her head.

"Jacob and Josh look so similar!" she squealed.

"Oh my god, right? They've both got dark hair and pale skin." I said, half giggling.

"I think Jacob's a little tanner, though." Maddy replied.

"Yeah, but I think that my brother's still pretty pale. Their faces are pretty different though."

"They have different-shaped features," Maddy explained.

"I think it's the hair and skin and eyes, mostly." I told her.

"I agree,"

"I'm glad Henry doesn't really look like either of them, or else they'd be like awkward triplets," I said, laughing. She chuckled.

"Josh and Jacob and Henry, they're all really close, huh?"

"Jacob and Henry were already friends before, but Josh seems to fit in well," I replied.

"Their little trio works well, because each person is the opposite of the other two, so they balance each other out." Maddy said. I looked at her quizzically.

"How so?" I inquired.

"Josh is a little impulsive and immature. From what I've observed of the other two, your brother is strong willed & fun-loving, and Henry seems to be calm and mature." She explained. I laughed for a moment; she'd hit the nail on the head with Henry and Jacob. She smiled and took her schoolwork into her room, coming out wearing a pullover hoodie spelling out _Harvard _in crimson letters.

"I'm guessing you wanted to go to Harvard," I said, smiling. She looked down at her hoodie and smiled, apparently very humble.

"Well, yeah, I guess…I mean, I like their-" Maddy was cut off as the phone rang shrilly from its place on the wall. She went to the phone and tapped the green answer button, placing it on speakerphone.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, is this the Shannon house?" I instantly recognized my aunt Heather's tentative voice.

"Yes. This is Maddy Shannon you're speaking to."

"Is Adriana there? She told her mother she was with you."

"Heather?" I asked, coming to Maddy's side.

"Oh, Adriana! Is that you?" she sounded relieved.

"Yeah, it's me. What're you calling for?" I replied, trying not to sound a little annoyed.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you while you're with your friend, but I was wondering…could you come to my house?" she asked. I glanced at Maddy, confused by my aunt's request.

"Wait, why?"

"I, uh…I want to talk to you, Adriana," she replied.

"Like, right now?" I questioned.

"If it's possible, yes. There's something that we need to talk about."

"Adriana don't do it! Don't come here!" a voice in the background shouted. I recognized Ally's voice immediately, my blood freezing in my veins for a moment.

"Was that Ally?" I asked.

"That was her, but don't listen to her. She's just kidding."

"Oh…" I replied, not sure how to answer.

"So you'll be able to come over?"

"Um, sure. I guess I can come over…" I looked at my brown-eyed friend and mouthed _sorry_ to her. She shrugged and smiled. _It's okay_, she replied silently. I nodded and turned my attention to the phone.

"When should I come over?" I asked.

"Possibly now? I'd really appreciate it." My aunt told me.

"Uh, okay. I'll, uh…I'll see you in a little while."

"Bye, dear," she said, hanging up.

"_Bye_," I replied bitterly, looking at Maddy.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"My aunt. Her and my uncle got married in June."

"Oh…what d'you think she needs to talk about?" Maddy asked. I shrugged.

"I have absolutely no clue. If Ally's there, it'll have something to do with both of us." I told her. She shrugged.

"Might as well get going, then," she replied. I heaved a sigh of discontent.

"I'm not looking forward to this, you know." I told my friend, meeting her look.

"Tell me later. You've got to get going."

"Wish me luck," I murmured, my voice deflated as I slipped on my sneakers. Maddy smiled and held the door open for me as I gathered my things off the dining table.

"Luck," she said, amused.

"I'll tell you what happened later," I promised as I headed down the road towards home.

"Bye!" she waved. I waved back and smiled.

"See you later!" I called, just out of earshot. I stopped by my own home to drop off my things, finding Jacob and May hanging out in the living room.

"Hey loser," Jacob greeted.

"Hi, May," I said in greeting, ignoring my brother.

"Hey, Adri," she replied casually.

"Where are you off to?" Jacob asked when I came out of my room after dropping some stuff in my room.

"Heather wants to have a _talk_ with me," I told him, my hand on the knob to the front door. May let out a short burst of amused laughter.

"You poor bastard!" she said.

"Why's that?" I eyed her worriedly. She smirked.

"Oh, you'll see," she said vaguely.

"What?!" I asked, wanting to know. Jacob smirked.

"Adriana, just go to their house. You'll find out what she's talking about soon enough." He said, waving me off. I left the house quickly, not responding to his words.

* * *

><p>At my aunt and uncle's door, I took a deep breath before knocking. I heard a squeal from inside, one I recognized as Ally's. Someone shushed her before hurrying to the door.<p>

"Adriana, welcome. Come on in!" Heather greeted me at the door. I smiled and cautiously followed her inside to the dining table. Ally sat there, pleading with her eyes, willing me to leave while I still could.

"Hey, Ally," I greeted, sitting next to her.

"Adriana, we've got to get out of here," she told me, whispering as Heather rummaged around in her room.

"Why?"

"Bad stuff is-" she began, but stopped when Heather came to the table, her arms full of objects that made me blush.

"Okay, girls," she began, spreading the objects on the table in front of us as she sat down. "you are both teenagers and young ladies now, so I think we should talk about this. Adriana, I know you have your mother for this, and Ally, you had your grandmother, but Lucille has told me that she, personally, would rather not explain it to you guys."

"_Why_?" Ally asked, looking at the things on the table.

"It's important to learn about, Ally. You guys are going to need to know these things eventually, and I think it is vital that you learn now so you won't run into any trouble when the time comes."

"Heather, we learn about this in school," I explained. She shook her head.

"Not how I'm going to explain it. They tell you not to, and scare you with warnings. I want you guys to understand that it's a beautiful thing that should be enjoyed."

"Just stop, Heather. Stop." Ally said, holding her hand in front of Heather's face. My aunt pushed Ally's hand down.

"Just listen, okay?" she replied. Ally shrugged and looked at the floor, not wanting to make eye contact with Heather.

"I guess…" I trailed off. My aunt smiled, pleased that we'd given in to her request.

"So," Heather began, picking up one of the square foil packages on the table. "This is a condom. It's purpose is to prevent pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases."

**Tee-hee. That last bit was more for laughs, though it will lead into something important. I guarantee nobody will guess correctly what's going to happen!**


	28. Chapter 28

**So, it's been quite a while since I've updated, but trust me- the wait will have been WELL worth it! Get ready, because there is going to be some KILLER stuff going on. **

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"Oh my god, Ally…why did we have to go through that? I'm scarred for life now." I told my cousin as we hurriedly walked to our own house. We had finally managed to get away from Heather and her 'talk'.

The subject of the conversation wasn't even bad; sex was a normal part of life, and there was nothing weird about it, but getting 'The Talk' from an adult was just beyond embarrassing. Had it been done at a much younger age -say, eleven or twelve, when we were still naïve kids- it would've been less difficult for us to endure. Both Ally and I were in relationships (Ally having finally owned up to her and Ryan's status), and understood what happened when two people were close romantically. We didn't need it explained; what adults felt obligated to tell us had been explained in middle school Sex Ed class.

"I'll never be able to look at Heather the same again," Ally told me.

"It's like adults don't realize that we're not perfectly naïve kids anymore." I replied.

"You'd think they'd wise up and understand that most of the teenagers here don't need it explained to them." My cousin added.

"What d'you mean?" I asked, looking at her as we got home. My cousin regarded me, a little surprised, as she moved to the swinging bench under the covered porch.

"You do realize that the vast majority of the students at school aren't virgins, right?" she asked. I sat down on the bench and turned towards her.

"Are you serious?" she nodded in response.

"Or, at least, that's what they say."

"Are you a virgin?" I asked. I instantly regretted saying this; if Ally said she wasn't one, I would see her so much differently. She smiled.

"Of course," she replied. I let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, good," I told her. She glanced down at her watch.

"I've got to go, actually. Ryan promised to take me to the firing range today." My cousin informed me, standing up. I followed her lead and gained my own footing.

"That's fine. I'm glad mom's out today in the field; I wouldn't be able to look her without remembering it was her who had Heather talk to us." I told her. She smiled in response.

"I'll be back before dinner, probably." She said, stepping off the porch. "See you later!"

"Bye," I called as she headed down the road away from me. She waved briefly. Turning to the front door, I turned the knob and found it locked. I searched my pockets, cursing when I realized I'd left my key at home. I picked up a small potted plant that sat on a ledge and pulled an emergency key out of a hidden pocket inside the pot. Unlocking the door and replacing the key in its original place, I let myself into the cool house. I was relieved to find the house empty, Henry and May having left. I found my Plex and flopped down on the couch to read a few chapters of _The Lord of the Flies_, a book written during the twentieth century revolving around a group of boys stranded on an island. I had finished less than a sentence when I first heard it; a low buzzing sound in the house. Figuring it was a fly that'd been trapped in someone's room, I ignored it and continued reading. After reading only a page, I heard the buzzing again, though this time it was louder. Coupled with it was a faint smell of burning paper. I marked my place in the story and sat up, looking around the room. The bathroom door was wide open, but every other door was shut tight.

Before I could do anything, I heard a vicious commotion from my brother's room. I jumped up and ran to the door, shoving it open. In Jacob's dim room, Gracie was rolling around on the messy bed, growling and barking. She was trying violently to subdue something. What it was, I hadn't a clue. I pulled her away from whatever she'd been attacked and dropped her on the floor. In the months we'd had her, she had grown substantially and weighed ten pounds, her weight no longer manageable in one hand. On the bed, crushed into three pieces, was a silvery-metallic creature I could only describe as a dragonfly. It was clearly a work of man, made of metal and wires. Its wings were mangled, connected to each other by a few wires. The body, separate from the wings, hadn't faired much better. It was the last piece Gracie had broken off that interested me most- a grey, almond-shaped piece of technology.

I rolled it over between my thumb and index finger, noting its light-as-air quality. A couple short, broken wires poked out from the flat side I assumed had been attached to the robotic creature. It made a few deflated bleeps before crumbling apart in my hands, revealing a small camera lens and a pockmarked microphone. Each was no more than half an inch in size. A small, flat chip fell to the floor with a light _plink_. I picked it up and examined it; shiny ridges on one side confirmed my suspicion; it was a memory chip, meant for recording data.

"What is this?" I said aloud, voicing my thoughts. I gathered the pieces of the creature and brought them to the dinner table. As I went to find my Plex, I noticed a small, brown hole in the papery door to mine and Ally's room; it was the source of the burning smell from earlier. Disturbed, I quickly retrieved the device and sat down, plugging the chip into a small outlet on the side of the Plex. The device blipped and then brought up a menu of options. I tapped the option that read, _View files_, and examined its contents. To my shock -and horror- I found over two thousand photos, videos, and sound recordings of myself, my friends & family, and my home. It was apparent that we had been being recorded for over a month; some of the first photos were of my friends and I dressed up for a school dance as we stood posed together while my mother snapped pictures of us. My heart was beating like a humming bird's, ice cold with dread. Gracie, who'd jumped onto the chair next to mine, whimpered.

"Gracie, what's going on?" I looked at my dog, something in me hoping desperately that she'd somehow know the answer and would enlighten me. She let out a frustrated chirp-like bark, her eyes troubled. I picked her up and held her to my chest, her head resting against my cheek. Despite her comforting warmth next to me, I could feel tears coming on. I went to the phone with Gracie in my arms and dialed the number for the clinic.

"Hello?" a pleasant woman's voice answered. I recognized it as the head nurse of the clinic, whose name I couldn't recall.

"Hi, this is Adriana Prevot. Is my mother available?" I asked.

"Is it an emergency? Dr. Prevot just started in on a dental patient." She said.

"It is," I replied quickly. There was the sound of muffled voices, and after a moment, my mother's voice answered, obviously bothered about being interrupted during work.

"Adriana?"

"Mom, you need to come home." I said, trembling.

"What's going on?" she asked, the tone of her voice nervous.

"There's…I found…I don't know how to explain what happened. You have to come home." I told her. She briefly hesitated to respond.

"Are you okay? Is Gracie okay?"

"Yes, we're both fine, but-"

"Is it a major emergency?" she questioned. I took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Yes," there was a pause before her response that I knew was her characteristically glancing over her shoulder to make sure nobody was within hearing distance.

"Adriana, do you need tampons?" she asked, her voice less than a whisper. I laughed, my serious composure broken for a moment.

"No, mom, I don't. Just…just come home as soon as possible."

"I've got to finish up a patient, but I'll be home in twenty minutes." She replied.

"Okay," I hung up without waiting for her response. I hugged Gracie to my chest and locked myself in the bathroom.

* * *

><p>"Adriana?" my mother's voice came from inside the house. I quickly opened the bathroom door and came out into the living room. She was removing her medical jacket.<p>

"Mom," I said, going to her. She hugged me.

"What's going, Adriana?" she asked when I let go of her. I wordlessly led her to the dining table where the dragonfly thing rested.

"This," I said, sitting down across from my mother as she examined the pieces.

"What is this?" she asked, looking at me. I shook my head.

"That's what I want to know."

"How did it get here?" she asked, holding the wings up to the light.

"I got home from having a talk with Heather…by the way, I hate you for putting me through that. But after I got home, I was reading on the couch and I heard a buzzing sound and then Gracie started attacking something in Jacob's room. When I went to see what was going on, this was what I found." I told her as I went to my room and retrieved my Plex.

"She was attacking this thing?" she asked in confirmation. I nodded, scanning through my Plex.

"There was a chip in that thing, and I found these when I plugged it into my Plex." I handed the device to my mother and watched as horror slowly crept across her face.

"Adriana, someone's been tracking out family." She said, looking at me.

"I never told anyone, but for the past couple months I've always felt like someone was watching me." I confessed. My mother's face drained of color.

"And you didn't tell _anyone_?" she asked in horror. I shrugged.

"I told Henry," I admitted. Though I didn't tell her that Jenna & Maddy also knew, I held no remorse. I'd only talked about it to Jenna once, and Maddy was going through the same thing. I didn't want my new friend getting thrown under the bus with her own parents.

"Why did you tell me or Dad?" she asked, obviously disappointed in my poor judgment. I shrugged, assuming the stereotypical teenage defense posture of elbow on the table, knuckles on temple, and not making eye contact.

"I didn't want you guys to freak out. I didn't think it was really that big of a deal." I lied.

"You've got to tell us about these things- look at me, Adriana." She ordered. I unwillingly met her livid green-grey stare. "You can't keep this from us. Someone's been watching you, and you're in danger. I don't doubt that for an instant."

"What are we gonna do, then?" I asked.

"We need to tell Commander Taylor. It's our duty as citizens of Terra Nova to make sure everyone in the colony stays safe." She replied. I nearly jumped across the table at her words.

"No! We can't tell Taylor!" I pleaded.

"Why not?"

"I don't know. We just can't. Besides, doesn't he have more pressing matters to attend to?"

"The safety of his people is a pressing matter."

"Mom, please." I begged. My mother let out a defeated sigh and stood up.

"_Fine_. I won't say anything to Taylor, but we are going to talk to your dad about this. From this moment on, consider yourself on house arrest. No leaving the house accept for school. Your friends can come over whenever, but you can't leave." She paused for a moment at the shock on my face. "You're not in trouble, Adriana. Not at all. I just want you to be safe."

"Can I go outside at all?" I asked.

"Not unless you're going to or from school,"

"Not even in the backyard?" I inquired. My mother thought for a moment.

"We'll have to do a little landscaping to make it more private, but I guess the backyard's fine." She replied, not waiting for my reply as she went to the phone. Likely, she would call my father home so we could explain the situation to him. I slipped into my room and crawled into bed fully dressed, not wishing to hear the conversation in the next room.

* * *

><p>"<em>You told me it would always stream pictures and videos." The tall, dark-skinned woman hissed to a short youth of maybe twenty years. She grimaced at her leader's venomous tone.<em>

"_It does. I don't know why it stopped so suddenly."_

"_Check the database." The youth did as she was ordered and opened a lightweight computer-like device. She scanned through files for the most recent uploads and cursed quietly -almost silently- at what she found._

"_What?" the leader asked tersely, searching the screen. To her, it was all Greek. She had no idea how this youthful young woman had figured out how to create such a device._

"_Look," the youth replied cautiously, scooting away from the leader. She didn't want to be next to the woman when she saw what the computer held._

"_Jesus Christ," the leader hissed. The last video was of a bristling, angry brown-and-white dog attacking the device, while the final photo was of the girl examining all the pieces. Her blue-green-grey eyes went directly into the camera for the first direct-to-camera picture of her they'd seen. She appeared troubled and confused._

"_What're we going to do now?" the youth asked cautiously after a few moments._

"_We're going scratch this operation completely. Lucas is going to need to get his ass in gear. The bug was our last chance, and now it's all be screwed up." The leader replied. She glanced at the youth. "Send Carter. I need to talk to him."_

* * *

><p>Whatever had been going on with the people who'd been observing me, it stopped after Gracie caught the dragonfly thing. It wasn't gradual, either. The day after my parents found out about everything, it all stopped. I had grown accustomed to the sense of foreboding, and when it was so suddenly gone, I knew. I never again felt threatened while out and about. Maddy noticed the change, as well; she felt safer, too. Though her father didn't like it, he allowed her boyfriend, Mark, to be with her more often for safety's sake. She confided in me that even if she was out by herself, she felt safe.<p>

We often spent afternoons together doing homework and bonding. She had smoothly been integrated into our group, partially because her brother had grown so close to Henry and Jacob. It amazed me; just months earlier, I would've never imagined I'd have a group of such close friends. 'Family Gatherings', as we called the times when all eight of us would be together, were commonplace. It astounded people how our group ran so seamlessly; there were hardly ever any mishaps or arguments. I was no less amazed by it- we were all essentially siblings, yet there never serious arguments. It didn't seem possible or even plausible, but it was reality. Even during the dark, dark times when Sixers invaded the colony and Terra Nova was nearly destroyed, we were all there for each other. If we managed to get a message to the others, we'd often all converge at someone's house for support. On a particularly terrible occasion, when we'd been caught outside during a bombing, we ran to Henry's house nearby and spent seven hours holed up in an underground bunker he and his family had built. The space was small and cold, but by barely talking and staying huddled close to each other, we managed to get through the attack. When the Sixers were driven away from the colony, we celebrated for an entire day and night before helping with the rebuilding efforts in the colony.

With a flourishing social life, my life was never dull. Hours blended into days, days into weeks, and before I'd even realized it, it was nearly Christmas. In the spirit of the season, Terra Novans hung colorful lights on their houses and decorated their homes with shimmery garland and holiday cheer. Christmas trees whose substantial growth allowed for early cutting were in nearly every home. With slow adjustments in soil over years, the trees had been altered to flourish in the humid ground, and only needed a few years to reach maturity. How it had been done mystified everyone, but we were all grateful for it. Our house was filled with the scents of Christmas as we set up our tree and decorations. The Eye was often booked solid by groups of kids as they read stories about Santa Claus and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, making it difficult to study.

To myself I noted the change in my parents' demeanor. They were more outwardly affectionate to each other, kissing and smiling and laughing whenever they wanted to. I suspected, from the way my mother's face had rounded out ever so slightly, that I would be the middle child within a few months. When I presented my suspicions to Ally and Jacob, both admitted to noting the same things. My mother had vomited a few times that we knew of, though she wrote them off as bad food, and had taken a liking to Jacob's 'with everything' sandwich that had once made her gag. Her and my father's occasional trip to Waylon's for a drink slackened down to just my father, who went less and less often.

As the days grew shorter and shorter, Henry and I found ourselves seeking more time away from others, when it could be just the two of us. As Ally's open revelation about the teens of the colony sank into my mind, I couldn't help but notice the things between us, Henry and I. There were times when we'd be home alone at my house and, in the midst of sitting on the couch kissing, Henry'd reel back without a word as things began to go to another level. It was as though there was an unspoken promise he'd made me that we wouldn't do anything until I said so. He respected that I had a boundary, and that I wouldn't be pushed over this boundary. In all honesty, it scared me. The pain, the adult-ness of it all, it was terrifying. The thought of what could easily be done by us made my blood run cold. It was uncharted territory- somewhere that I didn't (or couldn't) go. I knew that in our youth, it would've been very easy to make adult decisions and open up a whole world of troubles.

Christmas came and passed without event. Henry took me into the mountains to see snow as he'd once promised me, just the two of us. Snow was magic; compacting it into round balls for a fight was the most genuine fun I'd had in too long. It wasn't until he produced a warm thermos of apple cider from a pocket in his bulky jacket that I'd realized how cold I was. I'd been running off sheer joy from the sight of snow, but the moment of pause when I regarded the warm thermos of liquid made me feel the numbness in my face. Christmas day itself was, in one word, unbelievable. Both Heather and my mother announced the children growing inside their stomachs, with my mother's due date being the earlier of the two, May seventeenth. Confirming my earlier suspicion, she explained that they'd known since late August. How my mother had managed to physically hide her pregnancy was a wonder.

* * *

><p>It was on New Year's Eve that everything changed. It was an hour before midnight, and Ally &amp; I were on our way to the hall where my aunt and uncle's wedding had been. Commander Taylor used to do it every year- throw a New Year's bash for the whole colony, though with the rising population of the colony, the party had become invite-only. Henry's family had, of course been invited, and all medical staff and their families as well. Though it was technically 'invite-only', there was no list of people who get it in. It was technically a closed event, but nobody cared if uninvited people showed up. Most who weren't invited would stop by to say hello and have a drink or two, and then head out on their merry way with their own plans for the night.<p>

"I can't believe how cold it's been lately," Ally shivered, zipping her jacket to her chin.

"We've been getting record lows, apparently. Two nights ago it was forty-seven degrees out." I replied, adjusting my scarf. My cousin shuddered as we crunched along down the gravel road.

"It's funny that we complain about forty-seven degree weather, when back in Chicago, we were lucky if the temperature got up that high." My cousin reminded me. I nodded.

"I'm glad I'll never have to worry about being that cold or not having food or being in danger from criminals again." I murmured. Ally grunted in agreement.

"I mean, it's not like there's any rapists or murderers in the colony," Ally said.

"Well, there was that one guy who killed Foster."

"But he did that so he wouldn't have to pay off his debt."

"Still, though. He killed him."

"But _he_ didn't _kill_ Foster."

"I know he used a dinosaur, but the intention as the same. The outcome would've been the same either way."

"I guess you're right."

"I hope there aren't any rapists," I said.

"That would be terrible, you know," my cousin replied.

"What?"

"To be raped. Think of how mentally scarring that would be." She clarified. I nodded in understanding.

"I don't think I'd ever be the same person again. Knowing that I'd been violated in such a way would scare me away from people."

"Even your friends and family?" Ally asked.

"Yeah,"

"What about Henry?" my cousin's question caught me off guard.

"I…I don't know," I replied, unsettled. It scared me to think about it, but if he wanted to, Henry could've done such a thing to me. It was a sick, perverse idea, but it was true. I was strong enough for someone my age, but Henry was taller than I was and quite muscular. If he truly desired to, he could easily overpower me. I knew, however, he wouldn't do such an act. To rape someone showed you lacked morals and ethics, things Henry had in surplus.

"It would be worse if it was the first time for the girl," Ally said quietly. I shuddered at the thought. We rounded a corner and approached the hall. Loud, cheery music and bright lights flashed from inside the building. A few guests milled about outside, chatting in the cold.

"Jeez, Taylor knows how to throw a party," I said, laughing. Ally let out a snort of laughter.

"Hey, even military guys gotta let loose sometimes," she replied. Though it was dark, I knew she was grinning, which made a smile spread across my own face.

"Adriana! Ally!" Maddy called, glancing our way from where she'd been talking to a couple friends. She excused herself from the conversation she was having to greet us.

"Did your family get invited?" Ally asked. Maddy smiled and nodded.

"Yup. Even though my dad isn't military, he's one of Taylor's most trusted men, and we got invited."

"Your mom's a doctor, right?" Ally questioned in response, smiling.

"Yup, so I guess we'd have been invited either way."

"We should go inside. I'm freezing!" I interjected, my teeth chattering a little. My friends laughed.

"Yeah, let's go. I think Henry was looking for you, anyways." Maddy replied, turning on her heels. We followed her into the building, its warmth enveloping us. The décor was much more different than it had been in June; the walls were warm shades of red, brown, and gold, lending to the warmth of the building. Most of the sparkly garland and various other Christmas decorations had been taken down, apart from a tall Christmas tree that stood in the corner of the spacious entrance room. The ballroom, which had at one time been a roughly circular wall of windows, was completely transformed. The airy, open quality it'd had at the wedding was gone; in its place was a warmer-toned room with a large dancing space and an expanse of tables, as well as a large bar. There was no wall of windows; from the streams and flits of color and light flitting across the dark wall, I deduced that the windows were, in fact, specially wired to be programmable to display whatever the heart desired. It was, in short, a spectacular display of technological genius.

"I've got to go find Mark, but I'll see you guys later, okay?" Maddy told us.

"Okay. Good luck!" I called as she hurried off. I looked at my cousin.

"Let's go drop our jackets at a table. I want to dance, and I can't do that in a jacket!" Ally said, grinning. I smiled.

"This table's fine," I said, looking at a round table nearby. I removed my cable-knit scarf and draped my pea coat over the back of one chair. My cousin waved followed suit and then disappeared into the crowd, waving a friendly goodbye. Before I'd even had a moment to think, a pair of arms slid around my waist from behind me, and soft, warm lips kissed my cheek.

"Happy New Years'," I said warmly, turning around to meet the only pair of eyes that could make me melt on the inside. I leaned up to kiss Henry.

"How're you?" he asked.

"I like the décor change in here. It suits the occasion." I replied.

"I like how there's still a Christmas tree with fake presents under it out there in the lobby." Henry replied sarcastically. I smiled for a second before my heart fell.

"Oh, crap!" I said, smacking the palm of my hand to my face.

"What?"

"I forgot your New Years' present at home!" I admitted.

"You got me a present for New Years'?"

"Of course. It is a holiday, isn't it?"

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't expecting one. I've never gotten a New Years' present before." He replied.

"There's a first for everything." I told him.

"That first can wait for tomorrow. I can wait."

"No, I want you to have a present tonight."

"It's okay that you forgot it. Just having you is present enough." He told me. I smiled, cheesy as it was.

"Thanks, but I really want you to have this one tonight. My house isn't that far, Henry. I could go get it and be back in ten minutes." I replied.

"You really don't have to."

"I want to." I said. He let out a slightly exasperated sigh.

"Okay. Go get my present, then. I'll wait here for you." he told me, smiling. I kissed him again briefly.

"Thank you. You'll love it. I'll be right back!" I kissed him again and slipped my jacket and scarf on again. Henry walked me to the main door to the building and kissed me again.

"Hurry back, love," he said, smiling. I waved as I hurried away into the darkness.

"Will do!" I called back just as I fell out of hearing distance.

* * *

><p>"<em>Tonight's the night." The woman hissed venomously. The two men and the woman in the room with her grinned devilishly.<em>

"_And they thought they'd gotten rid of us." One of the men said, cackling with glee._

* * *

><p>I unlocked the door to the house and let myself in, noticing the porch light had burnt out. The house was cold, and all the lights were off.. I felt my way to my room and turned on the lamp next to my bed, not needing much light for my purpose. I removed my leather-esque boots and sat them on the edge of my bed and dropped my jacket next to the shoes, its thick fabric a cumbersome burden as I moved quickly in my room. I squatted down in front of my night table and pulled open the drawer, rifling through knick knacks and papers for the small envelope I'd hid in the back of the drawer. I found it and stood up, closing the drawer. Under my left foot, I felt a cold spot. I held the bottom of my foot up and saw a hole had formed on the heel of the white sock. I removed the old socks and found a new pair in my dresser. I sat on the side of my bed, my back away from the door. I pulled on the new socks and reached for my boots. I brought them next to me on the bed and slipped my foot into one. I buckled the side and reached for the other boot, slipping my foot into it. As I began to buckle up the shoe, a silent hand clamped over my mouth. I bolted up straight, but before I could do anything, a hand clamped around each of my biceps, restraining me. Another hand grabbed hold of my hair, pulling it taut against my head in further restraint. A couple fingers from the same that held my hair pressed into my throat.<p>

"Make a sound and you're _dead_," a venomous voice hissed into my ear. I identified it as a woman's. I couldn't move my head, but when my eyes flitted up to the large mirror on my dresser, I could see in the reflection myself sitting on the bed, with -to my horror- two shadowed figures behind me, only a pair of dark hands & a pair of lighter hands visible in the weak light of the lamp.

"Let's go," a different voice growled. A man's voice. What happened next I had no memory of; a small, sharp pain in the side of my neck released me from consciousness.

**This is without a doubt the most insane cliff hanger I've ever written. What's gonna happen now?! **


	29. Chapter 29

**Hey guys! I'm back with an update! It's a record, huh? Thing is, this chapter's not too long. When I was writing, the palce where this chapter ends was just too perfect to continue in the chapter. You know me; I just LOVE a good cliffhanger! The next portion of the story will be a little different, though I'll go into further detail when it becomes revelvant to the place in the story. For now, ENJOY!**

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Henry

"Jenna! Have you seen Adriana? I've been waiting for her for nearly an hour." I stopped the blonde girl, catching her by the arm. She shook her head.

"I just got here. I was just talking to Ally; she might know where Adriana is." The girl who'd once hated me replied. I left without another word and scanned the crowd, searching for Ally in the crowded ballroom. I saw her on the opposite end of the room and rushed to her. She stood in front of the wired windows, carefully regarding the flickering lights and colors.

"Ally," I said in greeting. She turned and smiled at me.

"Hey," she greeted in response.

"Have you seen Adriana? I can't find her anywhere." I asked. My girlfriend's cousin shrugged.

"I told her you were looking for her right after we got here."

"Yeah, we talked for a little while after that, but then she went home to get me something." I explained.

"What?"

"A present. She got me something for New Years'." I clarified.

"Maybe she lost it, and is looking for it." She suggested. I shrugged.

"She's too organized."

"I don't know what to tell you, man. You could go check the house and see if she's still there." She replied.

"I think I will. Thanks." I said, turning on my heels. I found my jacket and buttoned it up as I walked out the main door of the building into the freezing. I walked quickly, not wanting to miss the moment at the party when the clock struck midnight. I wanted to get, for the first time, a New Years' kiss. That was, however, the least of my concerns. I was getting worried about Adriana.

I walked the all-too-familiar route to her house. The porch light was off, and the door sat a few inches ajar. _That's strange_. I opened the door cautiously, and poked my head in. Apart from a single light in Adriana's room that filtered through the thick papery walls, and the small French bulldog who greeted me, the house was dark and silent. I slipped inside and shut the door behind me.

"Adriana…?" I called out softly, not wanting to startle her if, perhaps, she'd fallen asleep. Gracie followed at my heels as I went to the door to Adriana's room. Sliding the door open, I expected to find the girl I loved sleeping on her bed.

No. There was nobody sleeping on either of the beds. Ally's bed was neat and tidy, but a familiar grey pea coat -that's what she'd called it, right?- was strewn haphazardly across Adriana's bed. The way the sheets and blankets lied across the bed, it appeared as though someone had been drug from the far side of the bed towards the door.

_No- don't think like that, Henry. Let's be rational._

"Gracie, where's Adriana?" I asked, looking at the small dog. Her eyes lit up at the mention of her owner's name. She intently began to sniff the floor. She jumped on the bed and sniffed at Adriana's coat. She yapped at me and pawed at the jacket.

"That's not her, Gracie. She was wearing that earlier tonight. Find Adriana!" Determined to find the girl she loved so unconditionally, Gracie hopped off the bed and began to snuffle around the floor. I went around to the other side of the bed, and sat down. Looking down at the floor, I noticed a small white envelope with my named written in neat cursive across the front. I reached down and picked up the envelope, examining it. It had some weight to it- it had a couple thick, folded pieces of paper inside. I opened the side table drawer to retrieve a small pocketknife I knew Adriana kept. When I couldn't find the red and silver defense weapon, I used my thumb to carefully rip through the seal on the envelope. I pulled out two pieces of thick, well-made paper, folded in thirds and then in half to fit in the small envelope.

_Henry,_

_I know it may seem silly to be giving you a gift for New Years', but this is no normal gift. I didn't want tell you this on Christmas, because at the time, I wasn't sure I was ready. I know it was only a week ago, but since then I've thought about it a lot. It has weighed heavy on my heart the past month or so, and I've finally come to a decision about this._

_Henry, I'm ready to sleep with you. I'm sure you weren't expecting that, but it's true. In the past six months I've come to love you so strongly that I can't imagine being with anyone else. That sounds cliché, but it's true. I've always told myself I would wait until I found the one and only person I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, and I believe I've finally found that person. It's you, Henry. I love you so much that there aren't any words to describe it. You respect my boundaries despite what your own wishes might be. When things could easily go much further, you keep that distance. I respect you so much for that. You don't try to guilt or pressure me into anything. I was always scared about being so close to guys, and you've shown me I have no need to fear guys. _

_I want you to be my first. You were my first kiss, my first boyfriend, so I feel it's only appropriate that it's you. I know it's a big step to take in a relationship, and there are dangers, of course, but I'm ready to face those things. I've talked this over with my mother extensively, and she has (a little hesitantly) given me her blessing/permission to pursue this new aspect of life. She's given me the things to prevent any disastrous results. Though she was surprised I came to her, she was glad that I didn't sneak around with you behind her back. She said it was very mature of me. I think that's why she agreed, because I was being honest with her. We didn't tell Dad, but after a while, I'm sure there'll come an appropriate time to let him know (hopefully it won't be me telling him he's going to be a grandfather). It's strange that I'm here, telling you that I'm ready, when I don't know if it'll be the first time for both of us. I'd like to think it will be, but because I have never required you to tell me, I haven't a clue. I don't know what you're thinking. I figure that if it'll be the first time for you, then it'll be okay if we're both nervous or awkward or a little scared. If it's not your first time, that's fine, too. I will see you no differently. If anything, I may even look forward to it a little more, knowing we won't be a couple of idiots. (I'd be the only idiot.)_

_Tonight. I want to seal the deal tonight. New Years'. A new way to start a new year. I hope that isn't too soon for you. It's whatever you want. You choose a day and time, and I'm there._

_Happy New Years'. I love you._

_Adriana_

Stunned, I re-read the letter three times, unsure this wasn't a dream. I'd had no idea. What she wrote was a revelation; I'd never realized she'd been thinking about such things. _She's a smart girl. She's not the type to be pressured into anything. I know that. She's thought this through, and she's ready. _A sharp growl from Gracie broke me from my thoughts. Looking at the dog, I found her on the floor on the other side of the bed, growling at a black-and-white feather. It was about two inches wide at the bottom, tapering upward, and a foot and a half long. I rolled over to the other side of the bed and squatted down by the dog. I rested my hand on her shoulders, stifling her low growls.

"What's that, Gracie?" I glanced from the dog to the feather. Just as I reached for the feather, a click came from the doorway.

"Don't move or I'll blast your head off, kid," a hostile male voice came from behind me. I froze, fear gripping me.

"If you're going to shoot me, could I at least turn around and know who did it?" I asked.

"Put your hands in the air-" he stopped mid-sentence as my hands flew up in the air where he could see them. "and turn around _slowly_." On my knees, I turned around and looked up at whoever was threatening to shoot me. He was tall and had a strong, solid build. He couldn't have been more than forty. His skin was light, and he had short, curly dark brown hair & dark blue eyes.

"What're you doing here?" I asked.

"What're _you_ doing here?"

"I asked you first," I retorted. He rolled his eyes.

"My daughter is friends with someone who lives here. No one seems to know where she is, but somebody she might've came here with her friend. Your turn."

"I'm the same boat as you, man. I came here looking for her friend. Her friend's my girlfriend." I replied. He let out a breath of relief.

"Oh jeez, _you're_ Henry?"

"Uh, yeah. And you are…?"

"Jim Shannon," he replied.

"You're Taylor's right-hand man, aren't you?"

"Some consider me so," he said. I looked at the gun he still held pointed at me.

"Uh, can you lower your gun? That's making me really nervous."

"Oh," Shannon murmured.

"Yeah,"

"Sorry." He added in a mutter, storing the gun to its hidden pocket inside his jacket.

"So Maddy's your daughter?" I asked.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" he replied suspiciously.

"Adriana's friends with her. Has she ever told you about the people who were watching her and Adriana?" I inquired. He looked at me, his interest piqued.

"What're you talking about?"

"Since not long after the Tenth Pilgrimage, both of 'em kept getting the feeling they were being watched. It stopped about a month and a half ago when the dog caught some sort of bug that had been spying on Adriana and Maddy and all their friends and family." I said, motioning to Gracie, who sat calmly near the feather. Though she watched Jim Shannon with interest, she periodically glanced warily at the feather.

"Could you explain a little better? I don't understand what you're saying- Maddy wouldn't keep something like that from me or her mother." He requested. I proceeded to explain everything from the very beginning.

"…and then I came here and found the bed all messed up, and Gracie found that feather…and then, well, you know everything after that." I finished. Jim bent down beside the feather, examining it with a grim expression on his face. I flicked on the bedroom light and went to pick up the feather to hold up to the light.

"Don't do that!" he smacked my hand away.

"Why? I wanted to hold it up to the light."

"I only know of one person in this world that would have any feathers like these." He said cryptically. "Go find a bag big enough to hold the feather, and put on a rubber glove."

"Why?"

"Just do it." I left the room and searched through the kitchen for anything that would work. Unable to find any bags, I went and retrieved a sterile foam box from a closet full of Lucille's medical supplies. I slipped on a glove as well. When I returned to the bedroom, Jim glanced at the box but made no comment.

"Pick up that feather _very_ carefully, and put it in the box." He instructed. I followed his instructions and gently let the feather rest in the bottom of the box. Jim quickly sealed the box shut.

"What now?" I asked, pulling off the glove.

"We've got a little police work to do." He replied. "C'mon, kid. Let's go."

**And...scene! I HAVE to hear what you think of the story switching to Henry's perspective. Do like it? Hate it? What do YOU think about the direction the story is going? What should happen next? I'm super excited about it and I think it'll be really interesting to see how Henry handles things. Depending on how the writing goes, I may be updating more often with shorter pieces, though I'm not sure. A fair warning- in the next few chapters, you'll be seeing some pretty dark stuff happen. It really will be quite sad, but it will lend towards the overall plot. One more thing: do you guys think that, when the story is finished (tha'll be a sad day), I should write an epilogue? Or maybe a sequel? Give me your opinion!**


	30. Chapter 30

**Here's another installment in the saga of Hadriana (no joke, someone thought of that for Henry & Adriana's "couple" nickname!) Here, we'll see a little mroe from our villians' perspective, which I really enjoy writing. I like that no character is specifically named; it keeps up that air of mystery to who they are (though it is finally revealed exactly who's been causing trouble!) Enjoy! **

Chapter Thirty

"Where are we going?" I asked, looking at Jim as we hurried unlit roads in the cold night. It was well past midnight, a vicious chill freezing me to the bone.

"I know of only one person who'd spend New Years' in a laboratory, and thankfully, he can help us."

"Who?"

"Malcolm Wallace. He's Chief Science Officer of the colony, and for as much as I don't like admitting it, I need his help." Jim replied. _Malcolm Wallace._ The name was vaguely familiar, and after raking my brain, I placed a face to the name. He was a middle-aged man with ruffled strawberry-blonde hair and a perpetually flustered expression on his face.

"How can he help?"

"If this feather is what I think it is, then we've got a possibility of genetic material on the end to identify a suspect."

"And if there isn't any genetic material?"

"Then we'll have Malcolm do some chemical testing to find out where the feather came from."

"How is that helpful?" Jim stopped in the shadows and looked at me, an exasperated expression crossing his face.

"How many more questions are you going to ask?"

"As many as necessary," he rolled his eyes at my answer and continued on through the shadows. I hurried to keep up with his long stride. Though we were nearly equal in height, his longer, faster stride was difficult to keep up with.

"Answer my question: _how is that helpful_?" I repeated.

"Honestly, I don't know. I was a cop, not a scientist. Get off my case." He stopped in the shade of a large, wide fern. "In fact, stop talking. We might be under surveillance right now, and I don't want them to be able track us any easier. It was probably the same people or person who took the girls- there's no way in hell that the abduction of two teenage girls on the same night within a hour of each other was merely a coincidence, especially in a community like Terra Nova. This is an assumption, but since we caught their disappearance so early, they might even still be in the colony. If my suspicions are right, then things are about to get a whole lot messier." He hurried on, faster than before. I was nearly running to keep up.

"What're you talking about? I don't understand." I said between breaths. He stopped dead in his tracks and whipped his head around so his face was inches from mine. He was clearly agitated and extremely irritated.

"Jesus, Henry, are you that thick-skulled? Sixers. We're dealing with Sixers."

* * *

><p>"<em>It's done," the woman spoke over the communication device similar to a walkie-talkie.<em>

"_Good. We are at the rendezvous point with a vehicle. Are you out of the compound yet?" An overly-charming man's voice replied. The woman rolled her eyes. For as good of a warrior the guy was, his voice made him irritating beyond belief._

"_Yes. We disabled a camera so we could get through unseen, so someone'll probably be out to check on it soon. I crushed it to like a small pterodactyl had tried to land on it."_

"_Good call. How're the captives?"_

"_They were completely unsuspecting. Both of them are drugged and gagged. They're heavy as shit, especially the blonde one." The woman replied. The man repressed a snort of amusement._

"_Hey, you're the one who wanted to do it. You could've easily sent in some us big muscular guys."_

"_You guys are idiots. Besides, your faces are too well known." The woman hissed back, taking a deep breath to expel the anger that had already began to build up._

"_And yours isn't?" the man asked rhetorically. The woman waited a moment before replied._

"_I'm not an idiot. Just because my face is the most well-known doesn't mean I can't remain unseen."_

"_But-"_

"_Never mind. This is a pointless conversation. Shut up and leave us alone." She interrupted, turning off the communicator before he could reply. For all the trouble they'd gone to over the past months, the two girls the woman and her second-in-command carried through the jungle better have been worth the trouble._

* * *

><p>"Malcolm! You there?" Jim called, banging on the door to the science lab. There was the distinct shattering of glass, accompanied by profuse cursing before hurried footsteps came to the door. Middle-aged and perpetually flustered, the Chief Science Officer opened the door and glared. In his left hand he held a dark blue rag. Jim walked in without an invitation. I followed him quickly as Malcolm shut the door behind us. I stood awkwardly beside the door with the feather in its box as Jim nonchalantly strolled around the room in search of something, Malcolm's glare following him.<p>

"You made me spill the only viable genetic sample of a new species of fungi we found last week." He said, clearly miffed as Jim intruded on his personal workplace. Jim -clearly undisturbed by Malcolm's accusation- twiddled around with a complex computer. He looked up briefly.

"Five second rule," Malcolm rolled his eyes at Jim's response.

"A simple sorry would be in order. And there isn't a _five second rule_ with biology. That sample's completely contaminated now." He replied, annoyance thick on his voice.

"Wash it off with water and it'll be good as new." Jim said, not looking up from the computer. Malcolm rolled his eyes and went back to cleaning up the mess on the floor.

"What're you even doing here, Jim? It's New Year's." Malcolm asked as he mopped up the mess with the rag.

"What're you even doing here, Malcolm? It's New Year's." Jim countered. I tried to stifle a snicker.

"Seriously, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your family and friends?" Malcolm replied, disposing of the broken glass and sample in a waste bin. He regarded Jim with an exasperated expression on his face.

"Thing is, Malcolm, I'm looking for my daughter."

"Who? Zoe?"

"Maddy,"

"Where's she gone off to?"

"Good question,"

"What d'you mean, _good question_? Do you not know where she is?" Malcolm asked, approaching Jim. "And if so, why did you come here?"

"I don't know where she is, and this feather might be our only lead. Henry." He replied, beckoning me forward. I hurried to his side and pulled the lid back. Malcolm sidestepped around Jim and glanced into the box. A brief glance, and he disappeared into the supply room. He returned a moment later with a pair of sterile purple gloves over his hands. He carefully reached into the container and held the feather in his hands. He held it up to the light and examined it briefly, his brow knotting up in consternation.

"Jim-"

"I know." Jim cut in. "I need you to analyze it for DNA. Malcolm, you know better than I do where that feather's probably from, and the repercussions it could present." Malcolm wordlessly moved in front of the computer as Jim stepped back to give the scientist space, his hand on my chest to push me back as well. We stood in tense silence for a few moments as Malcolm suspended the feather in a beam of colored light that shifted through each shade of the visible light spectrum. Patterns of numbers and letters slowly began to fill the computer's screen as the light's color changed. Malcolm read through the codes, cursing under his breath. When the analysis was done, he put on fresh gloves and retrieved the feather. He turned to us, but wouldn't meet either of our eyes. He held the feather up to the light, examining it with a grim expression.

"So?" Jim asked. Malcolm looked at him, finally meeting Jim's concerned eyes.

"It's not good."

"Better or worse than what you expected?"

"Worse."

"Spill it." Jim demanded. Malcolm glanced at me.

"This concerns him, too. He's got someone missing, too."

"Who?"

"Girlfriend," I answered.

"Girlfriend?" he asked in confirmation, his British accent changing the way he said the word. He was unimpressed.

"Adriana Prevot," I told him, knowing that would matter. Adriana's mom worked closely with Malcolm in the science department, and I knew of an unfortunate occasion involving Malcolm and Adriana and Jenna that had explosive results. Malcolm let out a sigh of exasperation.

"It's from the Badlands, like I suspected. It's off the marbled osprey, an ancestor of the modern day osprey that lives in the Badlands, and there's a genetic trace left on it from a woman." He explained, a mask of dismay on his face.

"Who?" Jim asked. Malcolm shrugged.

"It's merely a trace. Barely enough DNA to even discern it's a woman."

"I only know of one person who would have access to those feathers." Jim replied, his face shadowed.

"Who?" I asked. Jim took a deep breath.

"Tell him, Jim." Malcolm said, looking at Jim. The troubled man turned to look at me after a few more seconds of tense silence.

"Mira, the leader of the Sixers."

* * *

><p><em>The stolen rover zoomed down a long-abandoned service road through the jungle. Driving was a small, strong man with wide eyes and standing-up brown hair. In the passenger seat was a stern woman with dark skin and long, neat rows of braids in her hair. Twisted into many of the braids were feathers and beads, and, coupled with the streaks of red and blue paint and somewhat worn look of her clothing, she could've been a lost explorer-turned warrior if it weren't for the mean-looking pyrosonic gun that nonchalantly sat across her lap. In the back of the rover, which had had the seats removed for cargo and extra people, two men and a woman sat guard over the unconscious bodies of two teenage girls.<em>

"_How far out are we?" the woman asked._

"_Almost fifty clicks." One of the men in the back answered._

"_Good. We're making better time than I thought. How're the prisoners?" she questioned._

"_Both are still very unconscious. The sedative is stronger on the little one, and the blonde one might've got too much, but they're fine. They might be out for a few days longer than we originally planned." The man answered again._

"_Excellent. Make sure they're secured when we get to our compound. I don't want them causing any trouble."_

"_We have attendants on standby who'll see to it."_

"_Good. See to it that the mental warping procedure is understood by everyone in the compound." She replied coolly._

"_What were the specifics of the plan? I remember the basics from the meeting last week, but meant to ask you for further detail." The woman in the back asked._

"_When the captives wake up, they'll be given our best food and the nicest beds, and once they've gotten used that, we'll throw them in the prisoner cells and feed them the stuff we wouldn't even feed a rat, if there were any in this godforsaken world. It'll break them down mentally and weaken their minds. They'll be easy prey once that's done, and we can squeeze out any secrets they have. By the time anyone in that foolish colony in Terra Nova realizes what's happened, they'll be half-mad." The dark-skinned woman explained, smiling to herself at the thought of it all. It really was a brilliant plan, and she was proud it was all her idea._

"_Did the informant plan to reveal himself to them?" the woman in the back inquired._

"_Last time I spoke to him, he didn't plan to, but that may have changed. Thank you for reminding me; I'll check when we're to the compound."_

* * *

><p>"What can we do about this, Malcolm?" Jim asked, his eyes scanning across the screen of numbers and codes and letters on the computer. I sat with my elbow propped up on the table, supporting my head in my hand. I yawned, barely able to keep my eyes open. The initial adrenaline of our discovery had worn away, and we were all starting to feel the effects of fatigue. It was just past four in the morning, and though Malcolm had been running tests on the feather for almost four hours, nothing more had been revealed about it other than that it came from a type of bird that inhabited the Badlands -a hostile land of bogs and deserts- the place where the Sixers and the Phoenix Group had escaped to just months earlier, and that it had likely been on the head of the ruthless leader of the Sixers, a tall, dark-skinned woman named Mira who was known to wear feathers in her hair.<p>

"Though we don't know for a _fact_ that this belongs to Mira, it can be assumed it was left by Sixer personnel. I think the best course of action would be to bring this to Taylor's attention." Malcolm replied, red-eyed and exhausted.

"No!" I bolted up. Both men were surprised by my sudden outburst and looked at me with confusion.

"_Why not_?" Jim asked, obviously mystified. I honestly had no answer- it had been my initial response, completely automatic.

"Uh, I, uh…"

"Spit it out, man!" Malcolm commanded.

"I just…I don't know, I don't think Taylor and everyone needs to know."

"Oh, _grow up_, Henry! This isn't like one of your playground squabbles you don't want anyone outside your little clique to know about! These are _lives_ at risk, man!" Malcolm snapped, surprising me.

"Malcolm, calm down." Jim said, putting his hand on Malcolm's shoulder to get the disgruntled scientist to sit. "He's a teenager. I know that for old as you are, you must've been a teenager at some time in your life." He add the last part with a smirk my direction. Malcolm took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before looking at me.

"I'm sorry, Henry. That was rude of me."

"It's okay," I replied, smiling. His outburst had bothered me a little, but it was no big deal. I couldn't hold a grudge against the man.

"I think," Jim began, glancing between Malcolm and I. "the best course of action would be for us to go home, get some shut-eye, and meet back in a few hours before going to Taylor. I already have a feeling that tomorrow, or rather, today, is going to be a very long day."

"That's as good a plan as any. What time should we meet up?" I asked. Malcolm looked down at his watch.

"It's nearly 4:15. How about ten o'clock?" he suggested.

"I think that'll be perfect. Let's meet here- I don't want to meet in the plaza or Taylor might try to send me off on some business." Jim replied.

"Brilliant. I'll store this feather away in my office, and then I'm heading out. I'll see you two later." Malcolm said, taking the feather away to his quiet office. Jim looked at me and held his hand out.

"We'll fix this mess, Henry. We'll get the girls back." He promised. I grasped his hand and shook it before leaving.

* * *

><p>I was dead-tired by the time I got home. Everyone except Tyler was home and asleep as I crawled into bed still dressed. All I'd done was take out my contacts and remove my shoes. For as exhausted as I was, it took me over an hour to fall asleep because my brain was spinning. It was nearly impossible to clear my mind. By the time I finally did succumb to sleep, I had decided that I would do whatever it took to get Adriana back. I would do anything, go anywhere to get her back to the colony and safety. For all it was worth, I realized this what my life had come to. This would be the determining factor in what my life become. I realized I would be a different man after this was all over. Whether Adriana died or came back to me safe, I would carry it with me forever, especially if the former were to transpire. For as scared as I was to face the Sixers, who had a reputation of being cruel and violent, I knew it was my only choice. Before this fight was over, I somehow knew that everything I had come to know would be completely rearranged. I knew in my heart that there had been a betrayal and that I would someday have to face someone I'd known to be good, and that, for as difficult as it would be, it would be for the best. I had no idea how difficult things were going to get, and if I had known what I would end up getting myself into, I might not have been so eager.<p>

**Oooh, mysterious ending, huh? I was going to continue this chapter, but I thought this was an appropriate palce to end the chapter. Since there's no way I'll be able to update before Christmas, I'd like to wish you a Merry Christmas (or Happy Hannukah, Kwanza, Yule, or, if you don't celebrate any religious holidays this time of year, Happy December!) and a wonderful New Year. I also send my condolances to the family and friends of all the children and adults murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary. It's a horrible tragedy, especially this time of the year, and I can only hope that those poor people will be able to heal and grow from this terrible event that has brougth together our nation.**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! Update time! I've been really sluggish with updating (okay, I always have but this time in particular...), but I've got an awsome update for you! Things are (finally) beginning to get rolling, and you'll get a bunch of interaction with Commander Taylor! Woo!**

Chapter Thirty-One

In the days following New Years', word spread like wildfire that Adriana and Maddy had been abducted, and that it had been the work of the Sixers. Security was doubled, patrols increased tenfold, and search parties were sent out as much as twice a day, if not more. After only a few days, I began to lose hope. I stopped going to school and spent most of my time sleeping. The teachers at the school excused me from my assignments, saying I needed to take care of myself and didn't need the added stress of school to my already overworked mind.

There was, unfortunately, nothing Taylor and his men could immediately do about the Sixers. Though it was common knowledge where the Badlands were, and that the Sixers resided there, it would've been too inherently dangerous to storm the Sixer borders. There was one accessible road to the Badlands, and it was a well-known Sixer travel route. It wasn't until the fifteenth of January, two weeks after the kidnapping, that things began to even remotely look up. I was sitting on the covered porch that overlooked my family's backyard in a squeaky wicker chair. Though my eyes were open, I wasn't seeing anything. I was too lost in my own grief to care about the world around me. Unlike most homes, our house didn't have lush greenery and a fence defining a yard. The grass went about fifteen feet away from the house and then faded into dirt and gravel.

I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, and nearly fell out of my chair in surprise when a small brown-grey birdlike dinosaur similar to a turkey fluttered into a graceful landing at my feet. Tied around its rough ankle with a dozen or so strands of fine golden thread was a rolled paper. The thing squawked and pecked at the paper. Carefully, I bent down and untied the paper, anxious to get my hands away from the irritable creature. As soon as the paper was released from its leg, the turkey-dinosaur flew up into the branches of a nearby tree and settled down, watching me expectantly. I glanced down at the paper and then at the turkey-dinosaur, and, deciding the thing wouldn't fly at me and peck my eyes out, I unrolled the crinkly, slightly yellowed paper and took in what was before. The page was filled with shaky writing in a script I recognized all too well. Astonished, I read the paper and tried to keep it from falling out of my shaking hands.

_January 13__th__, Year Eight_

_Oh, my sweet Henry. My whole life, I never believed in a single deity. You know this well. After the past two weeks, I firmly believe that every deity to ever be created has taken out their vengeance on me for not believing in them. I live in a constant state of fear every moment of every day. Even when I sleep, I am fearful._

_I am being held captive in the Sixers' camp in the Badlands. They kidnapped me the night of the New Years' party, drugged me and then slipped me out of the colony. I woke up just six days ago from the drugs. It's horrible here, but what's transpired has been strange, to say the least. The way we've been treated is, I suspect, an attempt at breaking our minds for some reason or another. At first, they let us (Maddy and I) sleep in nice warm beds and we had lots of good food, and then a couple days ago, they pushed us out of those nice beds in the middle of the night and moved us into our "permanent accommodations". Now, we sleep on a concrete floor and get a thin blanket to share. Maddy sleeps beside me, each other's presence the only thing keeping the other alive at night. They feed us moldy fruit and all we have to drink is water from rusty containers. Considering those are the only things we have to eat and drink, I'm surprised neither of us has gotten deathly ill yet._

_Yesterday, I got the biggest surprise of my life. You know who walked right up to me and started chatting to me like it were nothing? You're not going to believe this. Tyler, your brother. All dressed in military garb, too! He talked to me like there was nothing strange going on, and when I said you'd come and save me, he laughed and went on a rant about you, calling you an idiot boyfriend and a disappointment to your family. He also told me that my kidnapping has been planned since early September, and after the tenth pilgrimage was when they started plans to kidnap Maddy. _

_But anyway, Tyler came and was bugging me for a long time. When he started asking really personal questions, I said I wouldn't answer them, and he got angry. So angry that he hit me a couple times. And then…he…he…oh, god, how do I put it without shredding your heart? …I don't know how, so I'll say it bluntly. He _raped _me, Henry. Tyler raped me. He forced my pants off, and he forced himself…into me. Henry, it hurt so bad. Imagine getting shocked by a taser, having acid poured on your skin, and getting your head chewed on by a slasher. Oh, and being lit on fire and drinking bleach. All at once. That's what it was like, but all inside my pelvis. I screamed and cried and cried and cried, but nobody came to stop him. Nobody. He did it for a long time, too. Probably at least three hours. He'd go at it for a few minutes, leave for a little while, and come back & threaten to hit me until I let him do what he wanted. He took off my shirt and touched me everywhere. And I mean __everywhere_. _He said I should get used to it all._ _Oh, Henry, I feel so violated and sore. I have no desire whatsoever to have sex or anything close to it ever in my life. I'm too scared. It was the worst day of my life, Henry. You have no idea. My biggest concern is that it was completely unprotected. What would you do if I got pregnant, Henry? Oh, god, I'm so scared. _

_Please, please write back as soon as you can. Your writing, as well as Maddy's presence is the only positive I have at the moment. The bird that brought this to you will act like a messenger pigeon. He showed up one day when I nobody was around and I found a whole supply of pencils and paper. They let me keep your necklace, the one you gave me on my birthday. I think it's to purposely torture me. Don't give up looking for me, and absolutely do __not__ confront Tyler; I fear for my life when he's around, and if he finds out I've made contact with Terra Nova, there's no doubt in my mind that I'll die. I will write any information I have about my location if I receive any. It may be a while._

_Henry, I love you so much. Please don't forget that. I love you so, so much. _

_I love you. _

_-Adriana_

Thankfully, I was home alone. Tears welled up in my eyes silently. It was a strange feeling; I couldn't remember ever crying once in my entire life. My vision blurred as I held the re-rolled letter to my face, this one scrap of paper all that I had left of Adriana. I went into the house and curled up in a ball on my bed, clutching the miserable thing. I cursed loudly, shouting every single swear word I knew, starting at the least offensive. I cried and screamed and cursed, my actions nothing more than a tantrum. When the tears finally dried up, and my throat was hoarse from screaming and cursing, I carefully slipped the letter underneath the photo of Adriana I had on my nightstand, my lip trembling as I looked at the photo. It was my favorite of her; one taken right after she'd gotten done with soccer practice for the day, and had came over to help me figure out an old SLR camera I'd found in the market. Her face was a little pink, and she still had on her soccer jersey, but the photo was crystal-clear, her smile lighting the room.

"_Why would he do this, Adriana? Why?_" I asked the photo, wishing it was really her I was talking to. I looked over at the next photo on my nightstand, one of Tyler and I on his birthday a few years earlier. The face of my older brother, smiling and calm, angered me. I picked up the framed picture and, cursing every foul word I knew, hurled it at the opposite wall. The corner of the metal frame embedded into the papery wall, sticking out at an angle. I ripped it from the wall and pulled the photo out. Cutting the photo down the middle between our faces, I left the half with my face on the end of the bed. I took Tyler's photo into the kitchen and found the box of matches we stored in a cupboard. I struck one against the box and held the burning match to the corner of the photo, watching the flames envelope my brother's face.

"You're dead to me, bastard," I muttered when the photo was nothing more than ashes in the sink. I washed away the evidence before leaving for my shift at the coffee shop with my stepmom.

* * *

><p>"Okay, here we go," I said quietly to myself, staring down at the blank paper in front of me. I was in my room, sitting at my desk with a pen in my right hand. Taking a deep breath, I touched pen to paper and began.<p>

_January 15__th__, Year Eight_

_Oh god, Adriana. I read your letter and cried and cried. Partially out of relief you'd turned up, but mostly in anger and grief._

_Somehow, I'm not surprised that Tyler was part of this. The past few weeks he's become more distant from the family and I was starting to get a little suspicious of what he's been up to. It sucks that it's came to this, but I have no reservations against stopping him at any cost. What's he's done to you is terrible. Worse than terrible- I can't really think of an appropriate word to describe the foulness of his actions. I promise you he will pay for his actions. The rage I feel towards him has no equivalent. I want nothing more than to bring that miserable retch's life to an end. He has ripped away your innocence and the last part of you that remained of your childhood, the one thing that can't be replaced or re-generated. He stole the one thing from you that was only yours to give away. I'm so sorry, love. It's so wrong. I wish I were there to hug and comfort you, and to tell you that things will get better. I'm almost thankful Maddy's with you; it makes me feel a little better that you have a friend to lean on._

_Don't give up hope. You are one of the strongest people I know. You can do it. Persevere, and you will make it. You are stronger than any number of Sixers. The whole colony is pitching in to get you guys back, and there will soon be a day when the Sixers will be destroyed and you'll be home. Keep Maddy in high spirits, and stick together. You can do this._

_Stay strong._

_Love, Henry_

* * *

><p>I folded the paper and went outside to find the turkey-dinosaur. The thing was still perched in its treetop roost. When it spotted me, it squawked and fluttered down to my feet. Hesitantly, I bent down to tie the letter to its leg. Realizing I had nothing to affix the letter with, I began to unlace one of the laces from the sneakers I was wearing. The bird squawked and lightly pecked at my hand. It didn't break the skin, but left a pinkish mark and stung for a moment.<p>

"Ow!" I cried, more in surprise than pain. The bird began to peck at the grass. I looked at where he was pecking and saw the bunch of find golden thread trapped in the grass. Careful not to lose any of the long threads, I pulled them out of their holding place in the grass and held the bunch up to the sun. The goldenness of the threads was astounding, as well their length- each one was nearly three feet long. I brought the thread closer to my face to observe it more closely, noting unusual minute ridges along the length of each thread. It was then that a brief breath of wind blew towards me, pushing an unbelievably present smell into my face. In utter disbelief, I checked over my shoulder to see if Adriana was standing behind me. Then, I realized it; the thread wasn't thread…it was Adriana's _hair_. She'd plucked strands of her glorious, beautiful hair and used them to tie the letter. The scent that had blown into my face was her- it was an old smell, weak, but it was definitely the smell of her I'd grown to love.

Clutching the few measly strands in my hands, I tied the note with my shoelace and gave the bird a couple nudges to get it to fly away. The things hissed -yes, _hissed_- at me in annoyance and took flight, squawking a couple times. When it had disappeared into southeastern horizon, I went inside and cached Adriana's letter under my mattress for storage. Knowing what I now knew -that my own brother was a traitor, and that he'd raped my girlfriend- I wasn't about to leave a letter from her sitting in the open, and I wanted to conceal all evidence of my correspondence with Adriana. Had the letter been from anyone else, I would've burned the evidence after reading it, but there was something that stopped me from doing it. I couldn't bring myself to utterly destroy the only bit of hope I had. Knowing what I had to do next, I locked up the house and left quickly.

* * *

><p>Josh was the only one home at the Shannon house. From the fading splotches on his face, I could tell he'd been crying recently, but I said nothing, assuming I looked similar.<p>

"Hey man," he greeted, his tone subdued as we sat down across from each other at the dining table to talk.

"I've got something to tell you." I started off. _Might as well get straight to the point. _He sat up a little straighter, interested in what I had to say, though he still sat with his head resting in his propped up hand.

"What?"

"This weird bird-dinosaur thing the size of a turkey showed up at my house about an hour ago, and it had…" I lowered my voice a little. "A letter from Adriana tied to its leg." Josh blinked in surprise, taking his head out of his hand.

"Are you kidding?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I almost wish I was. I found out some pretty bad stuff, dude." I replied grimly.

"Like what? Is Maddy okay?" A newly-invigorated light filled his eyes.

"She's fine, for now. Adriana didn't really talk about her too much. The letter was dated from the thirteenth." I told him. He visibly relaxed, his shoulders dropping a few inches.

"What _pretty bad stuff_ did you find out?" He asked. I took a deep breath, put my hand on my brow and ran in up through my hair, unsure how to verbalize my thoughts. I almost couldn't say what I had to. I took another deep breath and met Josh's eyes with what I knew was my own grim expression.

"Basically, Adriana got raped and now is constantly being threatened by my brother." I said, spilling the words off my tongue like they were poison. There was a terrible silence for a few seconds as what I said sunk into Josh's brain. I cursed silently for allowing myself to let the scrambled jumble of words to fall out of my mouth in such an unintelligent way.

"_What?_" he asked, staring at me incredulously. I felt my lower lip tremble a little.

"I wish I was lying, dude." I told him, covering my face with my hands.

"Do you believe it? I mean, could it have been someone else?" Josh asked. I shook my head slowly.

"It was her hand writing." I mumbled through my hands.

"Who raped her? Did she say?" I nodded numbly to his question.

"Again, my brother."

"That really sucks, man."

"That's the understatement of the century." I replied flatly.

"Maybe they forced her to write it." Josh suggested. I shot him an annoyed glance, moving my hands so my index fingers rested against either temple and my thumbs supported my head from the sides of my chin with my elbows propped up on the table.

"No." I replied curtly. The word hung in the air for a few seconds.

"Okay," he finally said, clapping his hands together. "What's your plan, then?"

"That's where you come in." I told him.

"How so?"

"Well, since I have no clue what the hell I'm going to do, I figured I'd involve the brother of one of the kidnapped." I replied.

"In other words, you've got no idea how to save them and you want my help." He said grimly. His words almost made me smile…almost.

* * *

><p>"What you've got here is key in this problem of ours, boys. Good work." The steely words Commander Taylor spoke from behind his desk sent tingling shivers up my spine. Josh and I had collected Jacob from a study group to bring the letter to the Commander, knowing that he was the one who needed to know about this letter. We'd told him everything, though we told Taylor that Adriana didn't know the man who raped her. Trouble could arise if Taylor knew too early.<p>

"We thought you should know about it, sir." Josh said from his seat next Jacob, who sat to my left.

"Very good. Now that we've got some sort of line to the hostages, we've got a chance at really knocking out those bastards for good." Taylor told him, the slightest hint of a triumphant smile forming at the corners of his mouth.

"How can we use this to our advantage, sir?" I asked. The Commander looked at me and met my eyes as he spoke, his eyes never leaving mine. I was stuck, unable to rip my focus away from his cold, intimidating blue eyes. There was a glint of hatred in them that, I knew, wasn't focused at me. It was aimed at the band of dangerous criminals who'd taken up residence in the Badlands.

"We can gather intel and coordinate the final attack. Those Sixers may be smart, but we've got the man power and machinery to steam roll them into pancakes. All we've got to do is make sure those girls know when it's happening and how."

"Don't they have a ton of Phoenix soldiers still? How're we going to stop them?" Jacob piped up, breaking the Commander's intense glare.

"They ain't gonna have ammo, unless there're an ammo supply shop in the Badlands." He replied humorously.

"Okay, ignore the Sixers themselves. How're we going to find out _where_ exactly they are in the Badlands, and what kind of deal they've got set up?" Jacob asked. Wordlessly, Taylor turned to his computer and tapped an icon on the screen. Though we sat on the opposite side of the desk, we could clearly see the (backwards) screen on the computer. The screen had a large silver frame outlining a bluish-white, semi-translucent scatter of electricity that made up the screen, similar to the screen of a Plex. Taylor searched around for a while and then wordlessly beckoned us to come around to his side of the desk, his forehead wrinkled with concentration.

"This is an aerial photo of the Badlands taken about four months ago." He explained, bringing up a full-screen image of a brown-yellow landscape with little greenery. There were dark brown pockets of murky water everywhere, as well as high dunes of sand and grey-brown rock.

"Before the kidnapping." Jacob murmured.

"And before the Phoenix group even showed up." Taylor added.

"What about it?" Jacob asked.

"See that dark part in the rock outcropping?" Taylor pointed to an oval-shaped dark spot just to the side of a low rocky outcrop.

"Yes," we answered as a collective voice.

"We have reason to believe that is the entrance to an underground compound the Sixers and the Phoenix Group have constructed since setting up shop in the Badlands."

"How-" I started, but was cut off by a silent raised hand from Taylor.

"We don't have any idea how they managed it, but this is what we found when we flew out a remote-controlled imager last week to investigate." He told us, bringing up anther image. In the new photo, the terrain was essentially the same, but in the place the dark spot had been, there was a large concrete square with a dark metal door that all appeared to be growing out of the rocks. Zoomed in, there Phoenix guards holding large, badass machete-esque weapons positioned on either side of the door. Their clothing was definitely worn and old, and appeared looser fitting.

"So the bastards have resorted to tribal weaponry," I muttered. Taylor let out a huff of amusement.

"That's one way to put it." He swiveled around in his chair to look at us.

"What can be concluded from this?" Jacob asked.

"That they're either out of, or low on, ammo, and that they've got resources of some sort. That little bunker wouldn't come anywhere near holding the two hundred-some people that took off back in October. It can be assumed that while they have resources, they have probably lost quite a few. Over half died when the Sixers first split from the colony a few years ago, so I imagine they'd have faired a little better this time around." Taylor explained.

"Commander Taylor?" I asked.

"Yes, Henry?"

"We're in for a deep load of shit, aren't we?" I asked. The commander nodded grimly.

"Indeed we are, Henry. Indeed we are."

**And...scene! Things are just getting started. Be ready.**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hey guys! Update time. This chapter is pitifully short, but hey, at least it's an update, right? **

Chapter Thirty-Two

"One week from now we will make our move. The Sixers will be caught unawares. These two girls will be returned to us. You have my word as the leader of this colony that we will soon be whole again." Taylor spoke, holding his hand to us in oath. Among the group of military officials sat Jacob, Josh, the Prevot family, and the Shannon family. My father and I were in attendance, though, coincidentally enough, Tyler was not. From my seat in the third row next to Jacob, I could see the grim, determined look in the commander's eyes.

"How many personnel will go?" someone a few rows back asked.

"Two hundred. The Sixers numbered under two hundred when they hightailed it out of the colony, and will have suffered casualties since then. Any other questions?" The commander replied, looking out across the small audience of stone-faced army dogs. When we were greeted by silence alone, the commander released us from the meeting.

"Keep this information to yourselves. This is _highly_ classified." He reminded people as they left the small meeting room at the military barracks. As I stepped out the door, Taylor's call stopped me.

"Henry!" I turned around and slid back through the door to answer.

"How you doing? You ready for this?" he asked, analyzing me as I spoke.

"I'm ready for this to over, if that's what you mean." I replied dryly. I was, for lack of better terms, burnt out. In the two months since the kidnapping, despite planning and preparation for an attack, I lost the spark for life I'd once had. No matter how much I slept, I was tired. I felt old beyond my seventeen years. He smiled a little.

"Not exactly what I meant, but that'll have to work for the time being. I've got a proposition for you, though." He told me. I perked up a little in expectance.

"What's that?" I asked. He grinned with amusement at my sudden change in demeanor.

"How'd you like to come with us on this mission?" he asked. I blinked in surprise.

"Why me?"

"I need someone there who is has a personal stake in this. Sure, I've got plenty of men who want those girls home safe, but you're closer to them than most." He explained.

"I don't have any military experience, though." I replied. He shrugged.

"You're young and fit. You can learn." He said.

"In a week?"

"It's not that difficult. I can set you up with one of my stealth trainers today or tomorrow so you can get some pointers. I want you to infiltrate their compound and find the hostages." He said casually. My eyes flew open in shock.

"Commander, you want me to go_ into _the Sixers' underground compound?" I clarified. He smiled with amusement.

"You say that like I've asked something insane of you." The commander replied. I let out a huff of exasperation at his words.

"No offense, sir, but that is kind of insane." It was the commander's turn to laugh.

"Son, I wouldn't ask this of you unless you could do it." He replied coolly. I waivered before responding.

"I'll do it."

* * *

><p>"<em>We have a problem." A young, red-headed woman entered the command center of the Sixers' headquarters. Her leader swiveled around in her chair to face the curly-haired assistant.<em>

"_What?" the words were quick and cold._

"_It's about Tyler." The young woman replied._

"_How did the interrogation go?"_

"_Good and bad…I think." the assistant said hesitantly._

"_How could be good and bad?"_

"_I'm not sure if this was meant to happen, but Tyler, uh, got physical with the Prevot girl." The assistant explained quickly, preparing herself for the angry onslaught to come._

"_What're you talking about? Did he beat her or something?"_

"_Not exactly. He hit her a little, but he, uh…she got…um…" the assistant stuttered nervously._

"_Jesus, spit it out already! Do you not speak English?" The assistant shuddered and took a deep breath before meeting her leader's irritated eyes._

"_Tyler...raped her." The instant the words fell from her mouth, her leader let loose a string of curses._

"_That horny bastard couldn't keep his damn hands off her. They're political prisoners, not bed warmers. Fuck, this is bad…what about Shannon's daughter? She intact?"_

"_He didn't even touch her."_

"_Do you know why he did it?"_

"_Apparently that's his brother's girlfriend. Maybe it was some sort of revenge?" The assistant replied. Her leader's eyes bulged out of her head._

"_The Prevot girl is his brother's GIRLFRIEND?"_

"_Yes," came the assistant's squeak of a reply._

"_Well, that moron just signed his own death certificate."_

"_You're going to kill him?" the assistant's eyes widened in surprise. Her leader let out a silent huff of grim laughter._

"_Not yet. We'll have to see what happens next, but for the time being, he is not to have access to those two. He could screw up things worse than he already has."_

"_I'll send out the notification to the guards."_

"_Good. While you're at it, bring me the last bottle of tequila." The leader ordered._

"_Isn't that for special occasions?"_

"_One of Taylor's almost-AWOL men just raped one of my prisoners and might've just ruined this entire operation. This _is_ a special occasion."_

* * *

><p>The incessant, shrill beep of my 5:30 alarm clock ripped me from the most restful sleep I'd had in weeks. Blinking in the darkness, I crawled out of bed and stumbled across the room to where the small clock sat on the edge of my dresser. I pressed a button on top of the clock and my ears were relieved as the irritating beep stopped. Rubbing my eyes, I found my glasses and left the bedroom. In the kitchen, I set the coffee maker to have a pot of coffee ready in an hour. Satisfied the machine would have coffee ready, I went back to my room and dressed in running shorts and a t-shirt. I exchanged my glasses for contacts and slipped on a pair of sneakers. I stashed a house key in the zipper pocket of my shorts and left the house quietly, slipping a pair of ear buds as I took off in a brisk run.<p>

Gravel crunched mutely under my feet and my breath came in large white clouds in the cool, murky air. Terra Nova, surrounded by high hills in all directions, was painted muted blues and blacks while the sun began to sluggishly make its way up into the hills and out where it could fill the valley with light. Though it was a Tuesday morning and most people would soon be stirring, there was an electricity that hung in the air. It was, I knew, from me. I emanated tension, jolts of electricity seeming to surge through my body as my brain began to comprehend all that would happen that day.

It was, as Taylor had once put it, D-Day. That Tuesday morning was the beginning of an extremely long day- longer than I ever imagined it'd be. So, as I quietly crunched along as I ran through the colony, I cleared my head. I took every internal thought, every bit of information I possessed, and stuffed them into a deep dark corner of my brain. I couldn't let my own feelings or conscious thoughts get in the way of the mission set out before me. I had one goal: return Adriana and Maddy to the colony. Knowing my own emotions could go out of control if not in check, I made sure to remove my anger and fury I felt towards Tyler from my consciousness. I knew that if I didn't control my emotions, I would fail, and Adriana wouldn't get the justice she deserved. As much as I hated it, Tyler would be coming on the mission. Taylor was still blissfully unaware that Tyler was the enemy, and I knew we'd made the right choice by not telling Taylor the (whole) truth about the situation. When the time came that Tyler's true colors were revealed, the shock of reality would fuel Taylor, and he would obliterate Tyler. It was a grim reality that there would likely be deaths on both sides, and that lives would be completely different after the day was over. Though I put on a tough front for my friends and family and the entire colony, on the inside, I was scared shitless. The threat of failure loomed over me like a dark cloud threatening to unleash a torrential downpour, ready to burst at any moment.

* * *

><p>Tough, lightweight brown combat boots, dark brown camouflage pants and a green-brown shirt under matching camouflage pants. Brown, black, and green grease paint smeared across cheeks and forehead and nose. Three knives, two small pistols, and a sonic blaster. That was what every person leaving for the Badlands wore. All those who remained, at least. Of the two hundred men and women part of the mission, all that remained were the twenty-four elites, Taylor's select group of soldiers. The other one hundred and seventy-six had left periodically over the past week to get into position around the Badlands. If everyone was in the correct position, the Sixers' compound would have men positioned on nearly every side, hidden on the edge of the jungle just out of detection range by the Sixers. Though I was no true soldier, I was among the small group. It was my job to infiltrate the Sixers' lair once their defense line had been breached to find the hostages. It was, in a word, daunting. I knew that my sanity hinged on the outcome of this mission. My whole world would be altered dramatically by the time this was all over.<p>

"Welcome to the beginning of what will without a doubt be one of the defining moments in Terra Nova's history. You, my people, are brave souls and my best soldiers. I trust you more than most. Godspeed." Taylor addressed the group from his place at the head of the small assembly of men and women. He turned to the side and marched, our signal to go. We filed into a line of twos behind him, our footsteps falling into rhythm with the commander's, masking the sound of our numbers. The air was still blue-grey with night, but was lighter than when I'd woken up.

The colony was somber and silent as we marched. The Badlands were to the southwest of the colony, so our group left through the seldom-used southern gate. Instead of waiting for it to be opened, we slid through the openings in the gate and quickly disappeared into the jungle, where darkness and danger surrounded us.

**Is Mira a drinker? Hmm...**

**The time has come. Be ready for the beginning of the end. **


	33. Chapter 33

**Woo! Update time! **

**Hey guys! I'm so pumped to update with this chapter! Finally, we're getting down to the wire! This chapter is action-packed and awesome!**

Chapter Thirty-Three

Adriana

_It was coming soon. Safety was coming soon. We'd be out of the shithole mess we'd been in for so long I couldn't count the days. They were coming, the people from home. Our people. Mine and Maddy's. There'd be safety and warmth and food and clean clothes and showers and…and…and… _

My mind was unable to focus, unable to finish thoughts or complete sentences. The life I'd been living for what seemed like an innumerable amount of days had stretched me thin to the edge of sanity. Little kept me from falling and making the fatal trip into insanity. Two things, to be exact. Maddy, my only companion and friend, and the knowledge we'd be saved some day. Though rescue was imminent, I relied little on memories of before being captured; they made me weak. Thinking about food and clothing and make up and my family and friends and Henry brought tears to my eyes and made me sob. It was bad to think about them.

"Adriana, we need to get out of here." Maddy's words broke me from my thoughts. I looked up and her and blinked, every motion and thought sluggish.

"We need lots of things." I replied.

"The most important thing is to get out." Maddy was, somehow, still sane and the only voice of reason left between the two of us. Though she was still sweet, logical Maddy, I saw the darkness that haunted her eyes and mind. While her experience had been less traumatic that mine, we were both prisoners. We were both being held captive, and were both slowly starving.

"Do you have a plan, then?" I asked. My friend shrugged.

"No, not really. I mean, there's got to be some way out of here." Maddy replied, motioning to the oppressive cell around us. Concrete walls and ceiling encased us over thirty feet underground, on the lowest level of the Sixers' lair, an underground compound with three levels of housing, workspace, and cells like one we were in. Our only light came from a metal pipe two feet in diameter that went to the surface of the Badlands, filtering weakly down to the cell. The pipe had no closure, and when it rained, rainwater trickled in and muddied the hard-packed dirt floor. It rained no more than once or twice a week, and usually only for a few minutes at a time, yet it was enough to collect our water in the rust-filled bucket we had.

"What if we climbed up the pipe?" I suggested, not aware I was speaking until Maddy replied.

"You're insane. We can't even reach it…and even if we _could_, that pipe's probably too small anyways."

"We could fit, Maddy." I said, glancing at her for a moment before looking at the pipe again. "We've both lost a lot of weight."

"I still don't think it would be possible." Maddy snapped back. I stood and moved underneath the pipe's opening and crouched on one knee.

"Come stand on me." I instructed. Without complaint or hesitation, Maddy heaved her thin frame out of the semi-squishy quagmire of mud and came beside me.

"What're you doing, Adriana?"

"Just trust me, Maddy. Put your foot on my knee, and take my hand." I reassured her. With some hesitation, she took my hand and stepped up on my knee with one foot, her free hand pressed against the wall for support. "Put your other foot on my shoulder."

With less hesitancy, she placed her free-standing right foot on my left shoulder, pushing herself up a few feet in the process. Her head came about a foot short of the pipe's opening. She let out a gasp of surprise as she looked directly up the pipe.

"It's sunny outside!" she cried with delight. "There's a blue sky!"

"I forgot what blue sky looks like." I murmured under the weight of my friend. Though she'd lost a significant amount of weight and couldn't weight much more than a hundred pounds, I was straining under her. I let out an _oof_ of exhaustion, and Maddy automatically jumped down to relieve the pressure on my shoulder and knee. I dropped down in the muck below us.

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly, sitting down across the small room from me with a grin on her face. It was the first time I'd seen her genuinely smile in a long time.

"It's fine." I replied, smiling back. She let out a giggle and sighed contently.

"We might have a chance of getting out of here, then." She told me.

"See? Even mentally unstable people have good ideas on occasion." I replied, laughing. The sound was unnatural coming from me. It was a pitiful sound compared to my normal laugh, yet it was loud and joyous in the small cell. I watched Maddy's eyes close as she slumped over on her side with amusement, causing me to giggle even more. With in seconds we were both crying with laughter.

A loud violent _bang!_ and a string of annoyed curses from the other side of the solid metal door silenced us instantly, though when we looked at each other it was all we could do to not snort with amusement. Things were beginning to look up for us.

* * *

><p>Henry<p>

The Sixers' compound was, in a word, immense. From our place high in the trees on the edge of the Badlands, our digital scans produced a disturbingly detailed idea of the Sixers' lair. It was about one hundred feet in width and seventy-five in length, with at least three levels of space underground, each level deeper than the one before. They appeared as heat signatures, with a decent number of hot spots just below the surface and the largest concentration below those. Below the highest concentration of heat, there was almost nothing at all. There were a few week warm spots that we assumed were food storage rooms that were visited a few times a day and only held residual heat. Because it was an underground compound, the warm spots didn't move. The only entrance we found into the compound was the cement room built into a large outcropping of rocks, but with its simple metal door and two machete-wielding guards, we weren't about to attack directly. The Sixers were smart; they knew better than to have a single entrance and only two guards. Without a doubt they had multiple sentries posted all around their territory keeping watch for enemies.

Commander Taylor himself stood at my side, silently surveying the land. We were anchored to the trees by thick ropes knotted around metal hooks implanted into the trees, and stood on thick branches. Someone had woven long branches an inch in diameter between the branch we stood on and the one above us, creating a one-sided hand rail. Above, below, and to the side of us were other men in position to attack. The day was unseasonably warm and a hot wind blew through the trees on occasion, the only sound that of branches swishing against each other.

"What now, sir?" I asked quietly. The Commander looked at me with grim determination.

"We wait for a dust storm to kick up. Reports pegged one for today around this time, and it'll be our chance to move in."

"Won't they be able to see us, sir?" I asked. The Commander grinned, amused at my apparent naivety.

"You've never seen a Terra Novan dust storm, have you, Henry?" He asked. I shook my head.

"No, sir, I haven't." I replied.

"They're not a ton of fun to get caught in, but when you're properly outfitted for one, they're great for stealth attacks." The commander explained.

"So we're going into a dust storm to attack." I said flatly.

"Correct." A silence stretched between us.

"Shouldn't we be on the ground then, to be ready to run?" I asked.

"It takes a good fifteen or twenty minutes for 'em to really get going, so we can take that time to get into position." The Commander replied. I nodded in acceptance. We fell silent again, listening to the sound of hot wind around us.

"You know, Henry, you're very brave to be doing this." The Commander said after a few minutes. I looked at him with surprise.

"Am I?"

"You are. I don't know any other sixteen year old kid who'd willingly go into the Sixers' lair." He elaborated. I shrugged.

"I don't know, sir. I'm not looking forward to it, if that's what you mean. I don't _want _to do it. I'm doing it because I have to."

"You don't have to do anything, Henry. Nobody can force you to do anything."

"I have to do this, sir. She's too important to me." I told him.

"Who?"

"Adriana. I'm doing this for her, sir." I said without looking at the Commander, my eyes scanning the Badlands through breaks in the trees.

"You're a teenager, son. Why're you so committed to her? Hell, when I was your age, I always had girls around me." The Commander explained.

"I always thought I would be the type of guy to not take a relationship so seriously, sir, but this different. She's different. Adriana makes me want to be committed. She makes me want to be a better person. I know you'll think this is really corny, but she really is the light of my life. I've become a better person since meeting her." I replied, finally looking at the Commander. He nodded in acceptance.

"It's not corny, Henry. Most people meet their mates when they're older, but sometimes intended mates of them cross paths when they're your age."

"You think she's _the one_?" I asked incredulously, staring at the Commander.

"I haven't seen much of you two personally, but the way you speak of her convinces me so." He replied.

"How do you know I'm not just an overly-attached boyfriend?" I inquired. He smiled for a moment.

"I recognize the same signs as those I saw in another teenage boy I once knew." He said without looking at me.

"Who?" He turned to me in response.

"You're looking at him." He said solemnly. His eyes were shadowed with grief, and I instantly knew what was going through his mind. _He's thinking of Lieutenant Washington. They knew each other long before Terra Nova, and it's never been a secret they were in love._

"We've got movement on the horizon!" a soldier above us hissed. All attention turned to the golden horizon, where a tall wall of brown was approaching.

"There's your dust storm." The Commander murmured. "Let's move out!" At his command, people began to appear from between branches and leaves, silently beginning to their descent to the forest floor. I unhooked myself from the metal hook in the tree and switched to a carabineer to rappel down the side of the tree. The descent was quiet and swift, and everyone was on the ground in a matter of minutes. We began the hurried process of preparing for the dust storm. Terra Novan dust storms were, by the Commander's account, long-lasting and made the air quality like that of the future (in terms of number of particles in the air, not pollution). The best method for combating them were reBreathers and goggles. _"You don't need bells and whistles to win the war; they alert the enemy!"_ as my father always told us growing up.

The storm was fast approaching, only a mile or so away. Almost everyone had changed into light, sand-colored clothing and neutral-toned, lightweight body armor. The exception was me: I wore the same dark clothing, and dark body armor. Additionally, everyone wore bulletproof helmets. The Commander slipped a small sonic blaster into my hand and regarded me gravely.

"Don't be afraid to use it, Henry. It could be the difference between failure and success." He told me.

"Yes, sir." I replied gravely. He left me alone, where I pondered what would happen soon.

_When the dust storm comes, the guards will get killed first. I don't like that we're killing them, but it _must_ be done to access the compound. They probably have other sentries who'll see us, and it'll turn into a shitstorm of guns. Meanwhile, I'll have to figure out how to get underground and avoid the angry Sixers. Once I manage to get underground, I have to find the girls. That's my job. I have to find them._

"Everyone ready?" the Commander's voice broke me from my wonderings. The storm was upon us, a violently churning block of sand. Though we were only back ten or fifteen feet into the jungle, very little sand reached us.

"reBreathers on!" someone shouted over the roar of the storm. I pulled the mask up over my mouth and nose and breathed deeply.

"Let's move!" the Commander barked. Everyone quickly spread out in rows of four, weaponry in hand. We moved forward slowly, letting our bodies acclimate to the sand in the air for a little extra time. The Commander pulled a radio out of his pocket.

"All units go. Do not engage unless fired upon." He ordered. A quick chatter of replies came back almost instantly. When the radio fell silent, he switched it off, slipped it into his pocket, and motioned for us to break cover. It was go time.

* * *

><p>We moved out into the open and were hit by the force of the dust storm's wind almost instantly. I grounded myself in place for a few seconds to gain my footing and then moved on, holding my gun at the ready. I watched one man dart ahead into the dust toward the Sixer sentries ten yards ahead. As we advanced, everyone would jump out of sight behind bushes or rocks every few seconds before continuing on. Though I could see perhaps five feet in any direction, I sensed an overwhelmingly large presence of soldiers assimilating from their hiding places on all sides of the sentries. A sudden loud skittering of pops nearly gave me a heart attack. Through the dust, I could see that someone's gun had misfired and had let loose a few shots. Around me, people hissed with fear and frustration. A few people swore.<p>

Before anyone could react further, more shots rang through the air from ahead of us twenty feet in the air. Bright flashes of orange-red light appeared with every shot, conformation we'd been detected. The man whose gun had misfired fell dead alongside a few others. My stomach clenched with apprehension, but I continued forward. Within thirty seconds fully-armed Sixers were pouring out of hidden places in the ground. People broke formation and scattered into defense mode. Only I continued forward, dodging behind shrubs and rocks on my mission. When the concrete box came into view, I waited to make sure there was nobody guarding it and then cautiously stuck my head through the metal door. Inside, there was a metal trap door that had been flung open to reveal wooden stairs that led into a faintly lit room. _Too risky_. I ducked out the door and spun around, only to come face-to face with an angry, armed Sixer wielding a machete. _One of the original guard guys._ The small pistol I held turned into a blunt weapon as I clubbed the guy across the face in defense. I felt the guy's nose crack on impact. He stumbled and fell before taking off in the opposite direction, leaving his machete on the ground where he fell.

The feeling of breaking bones replayed in mind, and without warning, an overpowering revulsion came over me. I ripped the reBreather away from my mouth just as I vomited up the coffee and fruit I'd ate for breakfast. I retched for a few seconds longer before replacing the reBreather, not caring that my mouth tasted of bile and gritty sand. I wiped sand off my goggles and stuck close to the rocks around the concrete box as I circled around for another opening. All around me, shots and yelling mingled with the roaring wind. The air was a thick soup; I could see only a few feet ahead in any direction.

I made my way around the large outcropping and continued away from the fighting, until roaring wind was all I heard. When the toe of my boot smacked against something metallic, I jumped back a few feet. I inched forward and found myself crouching over a wide pipe. _A breathing hole._ It was two feet in diameter, and stuck out of the ground a few inches.

I thought I saw movement below, and when I leaned forward look closer, the tiny sonic gun in the chest pocket of my shirt slid forward and disappeared down the pipe. I clawed desperately for an instant and was then blown backward as the gun hit the floor and fired, sending a blast straight up the pipe at me. Two female voices below shrieked in terror at the awful sound of the blast.

"Shit!" I swore loudly as I pulled myself out of the sandy dirt. A light trickle of red dripped onto my goggles as I stood. Cursing, I wiped the blood off my goggles and found my scattered weapons. I continued on, this time holding a gun at the ready.

* * *

><p>I didn't have to go much further to find my way underground. I'd gone perhaps ten feet away from the pipe and found a small metal door. It wasn't even a full sized door, really; it was the size of a pair of cellar doors, though there was only one handle. Standing on the beside the door, next to the hinges, I pulled the door open. When nothing emerged, I dared to peek around the edge of the door. <em>Nothing. <em>The room was dark, devoid of light apart from what shone in from outside. There was a set of wooden stairs that led into nothingness. I glanced over my shoulder before disappearing underground. I pulled the door shut behind me.

Underground, everything was silent. The only evidence of what went on above ground was the dull whisper of wind. I stole a second to push the goggles onto my forehead and the reBreather around my neck before continuing on. Slowly, tentatively, I moved forward with the gun in front of me, my finger on the trigger. Still no sound. I had a sense of closeness, that the earthen walls around me were very close. I reached out to my right for the wall. It was cool and dry and only a foot or two away. The left side was the same, only a few feet away. I hugged the right wall, following its curvature around a slightly sloped bend for what seemed like ages before seeing the faint light of a candle hanging on the wall. The tunnel was lined with the candles on alternating sides, and I could see far down the dim passage. The light was hardly enough to see, but it was _much _better than pitch black. I fished a silencer out of my pocket and attached it to the gun in my hands. I continued on silently, stopping to listen for sound every few seconds. There was nothing. Not even the sound of wind permeated this deep underground. My breath seemed impossibly loud.

Ahead of me a few yards on the left was an opening in the tunnel. A soft glow came from within. I slowly edged my face into the opening, and found myself staring into a small sleeping area. Three thick pillar candles sat on a small wooden table alongside a small mattress. Various objects were scattered around the room -bits of rope, articles of clothing, plates with dried food stuck to them- making the room seemed very lived-in. A wooden basket in the corner contained a few dirty socks and a stained green shirt. A pair of brown drawstring pants sat on the floor at the end of the bed as though someone had stood and dropped their pants to change quickly. A long quilted rifle case sat half-on, half-off the bed and was twisted. _Whoever was here must've been sleeping and had to change and grab a gun before making a run for it. _

I left the room and continued down the tunnel. More rooms in a similar state of disarray lined the tunnel. Still, there was nobody. I eventually came to a four-way intersection of tunnels. The tunnel straight ahead was pitch black. _No way_. The tunnel to my left was similar to the one I'd just walked down, filled with softly flickering candles and doorways. The right tunnel was shorter, and ended in a steep wooden staircase. _I've got to go deeper into the compound_.

Despite not being religious in any sense, I crossed myself and edged through the shadows to the staircase. Each step on the staircase was skinny and tall, and lacked any sort of railing. The room the stairs descended into was well lit and had white tiled floors. I cursed silently and, heart beating wildly, crept down the stairs.

The room I entered was a large common room. The room was lit by hanging lanterns. The walls were covered with large, ugly rugs to keep in heat. Uncomfortable-looking wooden benches and chairs were huddled in clusters around the room, and an old fashioned metal stove fireplace was positioned in one corner. A large pipe came out the top of the fireplace and disappeared into the ceiling. On the opposite side of the room were a few wooden desks and chairs. A rectangular table with playing cards spread across it sat near the door. There were two archways that led out of the common room, both lit with candles. Above one arch, a sign said, _Clinic, Kitchen, South Stairwell_. The other read, _Bathrooms, Armory, West Stairwell_.

I felt exposed as I anxiously crossed the large room towards the arch that led to the south stairwell. Just as I reached the arch, a voice stopped me dead in my tracks.

"Hey! Whaddaya think you're doing?" The voice was clearly masculine. Icy fear filled my veins and nearly stopped my heart. I turned slowly to see who the voice belonged to. A man, perhaps forty, with dull brown hair and a mole on his cheek. He was tall and skinny and carried a semi-automatic.

"I…uh, I was going…" _Think, Henry, think! _My hand touched my forehead in fear as I tried to think up a lie. My hand touched something sticky."…I was going to the clinic to get this gash checked out." _Whew._

"Good call. Thompson'll fix you up quick so you can get back out there and fight. Where'd you get that armor? That looks like the stuff Taylor's men are wearing." The guy responded. This time I hesitated for only an instant before replying.

"I swiped it off a dead guy. It's nice stuff." I replied. The guy shrugged in acceptance.

"Good idea. We could use armor like that." He said. I touched my forehead again.

"I gotta get down there, man. Good luck out there!" I said, backing into the tunnel.

"See ya, man!" the guy said, trundling up the stairs. As soon as the sound of his footsteps were gone, I went further into the tunnel. My heart was racing, and the gun I had to hold the gun with both of my shaking hands. This one, though filled with candles, was wider and more irregular in the walls. Pockets and depressions were everywhere, creating shallow alcoves of shadow. This tunnel had numerous branches, with signs at each corner saying what went where. I was intent on finding the south stairwell.

I followed the tunnel around and bend and almost missed the sign for the stairwell. Turning down the slender side tunnel, I crept through near blackness. My hands were shaking less, and I was able to manage the gun in my left hand while keeping my right on the wall of the tunnel. After a while, the tunnel widened out into a circular room lit by a few candles. Situated beside the staircase, which actually had railings, was an ornately carved chair and a bookshelf full of old-fashioned paper books. Intrigued at what reading material the Sixers possessed, I found an assortment of genres ranging from poetry to science fiction. They even had a copy of _The Lord of the Flies_.

Below my feet, a large _thump!_ made the walls shudder. I was snapped out of my literature-induced dream and crouched quietly behind the chair for a few moments. When no further sound came, I edged to the staircase before descending _another_ level. I had to have been sixty feet underground at that point. The next level was another tunnel, and I had the option to go left or right. Pointing to the right was a sign reading, _Storage_. To the left, a sign said, _Prisoner cells_.

Bingo.

I turned left and went quickly down the tunnel, gun at the ready. Another reverberating _thump!_ stopped me dead in my tracks. I slid into a dark crevice in the wall and waited. Right as I was extracting myself from my hiding place, the slaps of bare feet on dirt came barreling from the bend a hundred feet down the tunnel. Before I could slide out of the candlelight, a thin figure came barreling down the tunnel. A shock of stringy, mud-caked blonde hair streamed behind the figure. It let out a feral screech when it saw me and didn't even slow down as it aimed a gun at me. I covered my head just as the person flew by and pulled the trigger. I'd expected bullets, which almost made it worse that it was a sonic gun. The blast threw me against the hard-packed wall with an audible crack coming from within my body. I heard the figure let loose a string of almost incomprehensible curses as it disappeared into the darkness.

My ears were ringing, and I could hardly breathe. I was positive I'd broken at least a couple ribs. My face burned and my muscles felt like liquid acid. I found my gun on the ground a few feet away, and struggled to my feet. I leaned against the cool dirt wall, heaving with exhaustion. Sweat beaded on my face and made its way into the sticky cut on my forehead, causing it to burn. I bit into my lip in an attempt to stifle the cry of pain all my injuries were causing me. I waited a few minutes with my shoulder against the wall until my legs felt more solid before continuing. Though it hurt to breathe, I sucked in as much of the musty air as I could. I had to stop every few feet to ease the pain in my body, leaning against the wall. I eventually made it around the curve the figure had came from. The corridor was short, with three metal doors. Two on the right and one on the left. There were only a few candles in the tunnel, one on either side of each door. The right-side doors were shut, but the left one appeared to have been blasted open. There was a huge dent in the center of the dull grey metal. It hung half-open and was barely connected to the hinges.

I could hear someone cowering in the room the blasted-out door had once sealed. The person was obviously female, from the delicate sobs I heard. I held my gun ready and approached carefully. I purposefully made scuffling noises to alert the person to my presence. I heard a quiet whimper of apprehension as she -whoever _she_ was- realized she wasn't alone. I slowly turned my head into the room and was surprised to see natural light filtering in weakly from a wide pipe in the ceiling. Going further into the room, I found the source of the frightened sounds.

Cowering in the corner was a mud and filth-covered young woman with her legs tucked to her chin. She was lanky and alarmingly skinny, with a sickly olive-toned complexion. Her dark eyes were wide with terror and her dark hair was limp and dirty. She wouldn't meet my eyes. She let out a cry of fright when she saw me. I realized that regardless of whose side she was on, she was no threat to me. I slid the gun into my pocket and approached her slowly. She shied away from my advance and curled further into a ball. She let out a terrified sob.

"Hey, shh…it's okay, I won't hurt you." I said softly. She whimpered.

"You're okay, you're safe. I'm good, I promise. I won't hurt you." I coaxed. I pulled a glove off my hand and rested it on her bare shoulder. Her skin was cold and greasy against my warm hands. She jumped at the contact but didn't shy away.

"What's your name? Who are you?" I asked softly. She let out another quiet sob and began to shake her head.

"Hey, shh….it's okay." I said, gently stroking her hair. I pulled off my other glove and turned her shoulders so she had to face me. "Look at me. What's your name?"

Shaking, she finally turned and met my eyes. Without saying a word, just by meeting her eyes, I knew who it was. Even in the dim light, everything became crystal clear.

"Aw, _shit_…" I said and carefully pulled her into my arms. She let out a sob of relief and I felt her arms slowly wrap around my waist and cling to me.

"It's okay, Maddy. It's okay. Shhh…I'm here. Maddy, I'm here. It's okay."

**I am beyond happy that the story is finally getting towards the end! I don't even know how to explain how fun writing this has gotten. Now that we're into the big action, I'm having too much fun writing. Since it's spring break (woo!), I am going to be writing like CRAZY! Do a gal a favor, and drop a review? C'mon, you know you want to! **


	34. Chapter 34

**Greetings! I have for you, the awesome reader, another chapter! Enjoy! **

Chapter Thirty-Four

"Is it really you, Henry?" Maddy whispered, trembling.

"Yeah, Maddy, it's me. I'm gonna take you home."

"Oh, god, Henry…it's…it's awful here." She cried into my shoulder.

"Shh…it's okay, Maddy."

"It's _not_ okay, H-Henry. The Sixers are h-horrible p-people."

"Don't worry, Maddy, they can't hurt you anymore. I won't let them." I told her, stroking her hair. I could feel her bony fingers clutching at my shirt. They shook like leaves. I started to stand, but her clutch on my shirt was unbreakable.

"No! Don't leave me here!" she cried.

"Maddy, it's okay. I'm gonna check out the area a little more for any exits."

"What if someone comes back?"

"I'll deal with them. Just… stay here." I told her. She nodded without another sound. I left the room and checked the other two cells. Both doors were unlocked. Nothing was in either cell save moats of dust wafting lazily through the air. I followed the bend back to the stairs and kept going until I found the storage rooms. There were four doors, with two on either side of the tunnel. Inside each room was an incredible plethora of preserved fruit and vegetables. It was all native stuff; nothing that had been brought back from the future. I snagged a few pieces of dried red fruit and headed back to Maddy. When I reentered the cell, I handed the fruit to her and watched with slight revulsion as she practically inhaled the food.

"I haven't had food that good in a _long_ time." She said when the food was gone.

"What've you been eating, then?" I asked, sitting beside her.

"Rotten bits of this or that. Whatever nobody else wanted." She replied.

"What about water?"

"We collected whatever fell down the pipe into that bucket over there." She explained, nodding to a rust-covered five-gallon metal bucket. I winced.

"You drank rusty water?" I asked. She frowned.

"It made us sick at first, but after a while our bodies got used to it. I had it worse than Adriana." She told me.

_Adriana._ Hearing her name made my heart thump in my chest.

"Speaking of…where's Adriana?" I asked quietly, looking at Maddy. She shook her head.

"Someone dropped a sonic down the drain pipe to us and she took it and broke out of here not long before you came." She explained. I stared at her incredulously, my mind wrapping around this new knowledge.

"That was my sonic. It slipped out of my pocket when I was looking down the pipe, and…and…I think Adriana blasted me with that sonic." I told her, wincing at the pain in my chest.

"You're kidding me!" Maddy shrieked in surprise, causing me to jump a little. I nodded.

"I was coming down the tunnel and I heard something further down and hid in a crack in the wall. When thought it was safe, I tried to keep going but someone came running by and blasted me with a sonic. It threw me against the tunnel wall, and broke at least a couple of my ribs."

"What did the person look like?" Maddy asked.

"Skinny and covered in dried muck. Blonde hair caked in mud." I told her.

"Barefoot?"

"Yeah," I confirmed. We sat silent for a few seconds before she snorted in amusement.

"Your girlfriend shot you, Henry." She said, trying to remain serious. I let out a puff of laughter.

"Just imagine what she'll do when she realizes that was me." I mused. I saw Maddy crack a smile out of the corner of my eye.

"She'll crap bricks."

"Do you know what she was going to do once she got out of this cell?" I asked. The smile on Maddy's face waned.

"She isn't sane, Henry. Not right now, at least. I don't even think _she _knew what she was going to do."

"We should try to find her." I said, standing up. Maddy shook her head.

"Help me up." She asked. I held my hand out and she used it to pull herself up. Standing upright, Maddy looked even worse than before. Her light blue blouse was stained and ripped, and her white corduroy pants were almost completely brown with dried, caked layers of mud. "We need to focus on getting out of here, Henry. Adriana, while mentally unstable right now, can fend for herself."

"I trust your judgment, Maddy. Follow me." I replied, stepping into the tunnel. Maddy followed behind me. I pulled my gun from my pocket and held it ready.

We made our way around the bend and went back toward the storage rooms. Logically, it made sense for there to be some sort of exit near the place food was kept; who would want to carry food up and down two flights of stairs? Maddy trailed a hand on the left wall and I, the right. After passing the four storage room doors, we continued further down the tunnel. I had previously gone only as far as the storage rooms, and had no idea of what lay beyond. The tunnel was pitch black; there wasn't a single candle or source of light guiding us. After what seemed like an eternity, Maddy squeaked as her hand came into contact with something.

"What is it?" I whispered. Silence.

"It feels like a ladder, but I'm not sure. Touch it." I felt her blind hand grasp my wrist and lead it to something cold and hard. My other hand found it and I ran my fingers over the entire thing. Two skinny metal poles with horizontal strips of metal every foot between the two.

"Good work. This might be our escape, Maddy." I replied, stashing my gun in the breast pocket of my shirt.

"Where do you think it goes?" I asked.

"Anywhere up is better than being stuck here." She replied.

"I'll go first." I said, climbing onto the ladder. I carefully moved up, reaching tentatively for the next wrung. When I had ascended a few rungs, I heard Maddy join me in climbing. It worried me that she was climbing while so weak, but I had to trust that she could manage herself. I could sense that we were in a vertical tunnel of sorts, the walls close around us as though we were in a tube. We climbed silently for what had to have been at least twenty minutes before my hand hit solid metal. I made a small noise of surprise.

"What?" Maddy's voice came from just below me.

"Metal..let me see…" I replied, trailing off. I leaned against the wall while keeping my legs and one hand hooked to the ladder. With my free hand, I examined the metal above my head and determined it was a hatch of sorts. There was a stiff wheel in the center of the door. The muscles in my legs clenching tightly to the ladder, I let go of the ladder and used both hands to make the wheel move. With a sickening _screeeech!_ the wheel began to turn. I worked at it slowly, turning the cold wheel until a hiss of air and a hairbreadth of bright light filtered in. Below me, Maddy let out a quiet whoop of delight. I slowly eased the hatch open, letting in a little more light. A few bits of sand floated in through the opening. I glanced down at Maddy, who was smiling from ear-to-ear. I pushed the hatch open wider, and more sand wafted into the space around us.

"See what's out there." Maddy encouraged quietly. Cautiously, I pushed the hatch open a few inches more, letting in blindingly bright sun. I shaded my eyes, but opened the hatch further. Heaving myself through the opening, I was amazed to find that we were not only above ground, but we were only a few yards from the tree line. The dust storm was gone, but everything was coated in an fine layer of sand and grit. A light breeze swirled bits of sand through the air around us. The sky was blue, and the sound of fighting was far away. I helped Maddy climb out of the tunnel and watched as she took in our surroundings.

"I'm free," she whispered.

"You're free," I echoed. She looked at me and smiled with squinting, sun-blinded eyes. She threw her arms around me. After a second I hugged her back, at first surprised by her enthusiasm.

"Let's get under cover," I suggested after a moment. Maddy released me and followed me as we quickly slipped into the cover of the jungle. We crawled into the wide space below a giant tree, hidden beneath its vast network of roots.

"What now?" Maddy asked, looking at me.

"We wait until the fighting stops, and then we'll make our way towards where everyone was." I told her.

"It could go on for hours, Henry."

"Would you rather go back now and risk being shot?" I asked rhetorically. Maddy rolled her eyes.

"What if the fighting stops and everyone leaves?" She asked.

"Maddy, don't worry about that. I could find my way out of this jungle _blindfolded_." I lied.

"Fine." Maddy said, yawning. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a nap. I haven't slept on anything other than mud it too long." She stretched out among the dried leaves we sat on, and promptly fell asleep. Grumbling, I propped myself up against a large root and rested one of my guns across my lap. The day was still unseasonably warm, and within minutes I felt my own eyelids drooping. Despite the need to watch for trouble, my head fell forward and I nodded off into a fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>I was woken by someone shaking my arm. The air around me was pitch black, and I couldn't see a thing. Confused, I reached for my gun but couldn't find it. I began to scrabble around in the dirt and leaves, ignoring that my movements created a substantial amount of noise. Something tackled me, and I fell on my side with a stifled <em>oof!<em>

"Shh! It's just me!" Maddy hissed.

"Where's my gun?" I whispered.

"I moved it off your lap before waking you. I didn't want to get shot or anything." She replied, climbing off me. I heard her settle down in the leaves beside me.

"Oh," I said sheepishly. I was glad it was dark, or she would've seen the color that I felt spreading across my face. "What time is it? How long were we asleep for?" I sensed her shrug from where she sat to my right.

"I dunno. I woke up just before sunset and you were still asleep. I took one of your knives and a stick and tried to make a spear." She replied. I felt a small, sharp prick against my arm.

"It feels sharp enough." I muttered, a little annoyed. "Have you heard anything?"

"Besides prehistoric birds and the wind, no."

"No guns or people or anything?"

"Nothing. Either all the Sixers are dead, or they've all retreated underground to lick their wounds." Maddy clarified.

"More likely the latter, which means they will have probably went to check on their prisoners-"

"-and will find us gone, meaning we've got to get moving before they start searching for us." Maddy cut in.

"They know that people can get through this jungle to Terra Nova in just a couple hours, so they probably went searching as soon as possible to try and catch you and Adriana before you could get very far." I reasoned.

"No person in their right mind would go out at night to find a couple of lousy teenage girls in the jungle." Maddy replied.

"The aren't exactly _in their right mind_, Maddy." I replied flatly. She let out a huff of laughter.

"I guess you're right. Should we stay put, then, until someone finds us?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No. We're way too close to the Sixers. If anyone finds us, it'll be them. We should wait until first light and then get moving." I replied.

"Where will we go?" Maddy asked. I went over a mental map of the jungle between the Badlands and the colony.

"There's the falls where Lucas drew on the rocks. It's roughly equidistant from here as it is from the colony, but it's one of the Sixers old haunts. That could also be to our advantage, though, because the Sixers would think it the last place any Terra Novan would hide out around." I explained.

"How long would it take to get there?" Maddy inquired.

"From here at night, at _least _three or four hours. We'd be going much slower, watching for danger and such. If we went during the day, we could make it in two hours, maybe less if we were hurrying. Most of the more dangerous dinosaurs are nocturnal, though the Sixers will probably be out. If we left tonight, we'd sleep there until daylight and then continue on towards the colony. If we leave in the morning, we could stop there for a break and be back to the colony by dinnertime." I elaborated.

"I want to be back as soon as possible, so it would make more sense to leave in the morning. It'd be safer, too." She replied.

"It's settled, then. We'll sleep here until dawn and leave from there." I said, glad we had a plan. As though it were planned, mine and Maddy's stomachs gurgled at the same instant. Maddy laughed.

"Unless you want to eat leaves, we should find some food before my stomach turns inside out." She suggested. Though she couldn't see me, I automatically shook my head.

"No. We'll wait until morning. If we eat the wrong thing out here it could kill us." I replied. Maddy sighed quietly, but didn't otherwise respond.

"Let's sleep and worry about food in the morning." I said, sliding down onto my side. I pulled my shirt closer to my body in an attempt to stave off the deep chill beginning to permeate my body. I didn't realize my teeth had been chattering until I felt Maddy's warmth against my chest. Despite my relationship with Adriana, I curled myself around Maddy to keep both of us warm. It didn't matter at that point. I was cold, tired, and hungry, and I was ready for this to all be over.

* * *

><p>When I woke, weak grey light filtered between the roots of the tree. Maddy was gone. Slowly, giving my body time to wake up, I crawled out from under the tree. My mouth was dry and my sides ached from injury. A thought in the back of my mind made me worry that my ribs needed treatment. I'd broke a rib before, in Dallas when I twelve, and I knew the feeling. This was that pain times five. Maddy appeared from between two large ferns, her arms full with a few pieces of large, oval-shaped red fruit.<p>

"What've you got there?" I asked, eyeing the fruit with suspicion.

"I can't recall the name for the life of me, but they're the same as that dried stuff you brought me yesterday." She tossed one to me and sat the other two on the ground. I examined it, turning it over in my hands.

"Are you sure it's safe?" I asked. She put a hands on her hips.

"Henry, if you've forgotten, I'm basically the biggest nerd in the entire universe. I studied every book on native biology this world has." She said matter-of-factly. I let out a huff of acceptance.

"Fine." I told her, trying to seem serious. "But if I die, this is all your fault." I bit into the fruit. It was sweet and juicy, with a tough outer skin. Maddy sat down on a small tree stump and ate through the two others, and then proceeded to stretch and warm up for our impending flight. I ate slower, allowing my body to start to process the food before joining her in warming up.

"Explain to me our route," Maddy asked as she jogged in place.

"We'll follow the tree line to where my group was in hiding before the attack, and we'll back track from there. When Commander Taylor and our group came out here, we avoided the falls, but it won't be much problem to cut across that way. There's lots of game trails we can follow." I explained.

"And after we reach the falls?"

"We'll follow a patrol road and hitch a ride with whatever patrol is out." I replied.

"What if we don't meet a patrol?" Maddy asked, standing still.

"Then it'll just take us a little longer to get home."

"Fine. Are you ready?" she asked, anxious to get moving.

"Let's go," I said, hopping to my feet. Briefly checking that I had all my weapons, I took off at a brisk jog down a faint game trail that ran parallel to the tree line. I could hear Maddy's muted footsteps on my heels.

We ran for twenty minutes before the concrete room came into view. I slowed down and retreated a little farther into the forest. I leaned against a young tree with smooth white-grey bark, my chest heaving. Maddy sat on the edge of a large rock, poised to jump to her feet at a second's notice.

"Is this…where you guys were before?" Maddy wheezed. I shook my head.

"No, but it's not very far from here. I didn't want us to miss the spot." I explained.

"Should we keep going?"

"We'll walk." Taking my weight off the tree, I walked through a shoulder-width spot between a boulder and a tree. Maddy followed without a word as we walked silently for a minute or two before a large tree came into view. I approached it and touched the metal ring protruding from the tree's bark.

"Here?" Maddy asked, her voice hardly above a whisper.

"We rappelled up this tree and waited for a dust storm to kick up before attacking." I replied, though I couldn't look at her. My mind was clouded over with images of blood-soaked figures in the swirling sand. I shuddered.

"How do we get back from here?" Maddy asked.

"There's a game trail that goes almost straight to falls from here. After we passed the falls from a different trail, we hooked up with this one. It's through maybe twenty yards of bushes from this tree, but we'll have to bushwhack to it." I answered, swiveling around to Maddy. In the muted green daylight of the jungle, my friend appeared underfed and wild. I hadn't realized it before, but her hair, which had been just beyond shoulder length in December, reached to mid-bicep and was hopelessly knotted into thick, clumpy sections. There were dark circles under her eyes. I was filled with pity for the poor girl.

"You lead the way, then." she replied. I nodded and pulled the larger of my knives out of its sheath.

"Follow me," I instructed quietly, and silently slid into the tangled jungle. We spent half an hour cutting our way through vines and growths of thick-based ferns, eventually finding our way to a slim, hard-packed dirt path. For nearly fifty yards, we could see straight ahead before the path turned away and out of sight.

"How far is it from here to the falls?" Maddy asked.

"Maybe ten miles," I replied, shrugging a little. She winced at my answer.

" You think we can make it to the falls in only an hour or two when it's ten miles away?" she asked in confirmation.

"It's not that bad, Maddy. It's graded downward for the most part, and it's even terrain. Even I can do it."

"But-"

"What's your mile time?" I asked. Maddy shrugged.

"Last time I did the mile was in ninth grade and I was running a seven minute mile. I was really out of shape." She replied nonchalantly.

"Maddy, your worst mile time is way, _way_ better than my best."

"That's not very convincing, Henry. You're a soccer player, and I've spent the past however many weeks holed up in the ground."

"Maddy, you'll be fine. Don't sweat it." I reassured her. She let out an exhale of acceptance.

"Better get going, then." She took off at a brisk run. I settled into place behind her. She set a steady pace of what I estimated was an eight minute mile for my sake. Regardless, my legs were burning after half an hour. It wasn't until we'd been running for a straight hour that she slowed down to a walk. Though she appeared calm, her face was flushed and her breathing was deep and labored.

"How far are we?" she asked as we walked. It took a few moments for me to gather the breath to speak.

"At _least_ four or five miles. We made good time." I replied.

"Do you think there's any streams nearby?" Maddy asked, her voice raspy.

"Maybe half a mile east of here, but we'd have to bushwhack the entire way." I explained. She cursed under her breath.

"I don't exactly want to run another five miles without water." She grumbled. I put my hands in the air in defense.

"Trust me, I'm not looking forward to it either. We've just got to get it over with." I told her. Grimacing, Maddy eased into a jog. I followed suit, and soon we running again. I led this time. It was only fifteen or twenty minutes later that the sound of the falls became a dull roar in the distance.

"We're…close." Maddy managed to wheeze between breaths from behind me. I shook my head.

"No…there's still at least…a mile away…the falls are…just really …big." I said between breaths. Maddy let out an exasperated breath of frustration.

As we ran, my exhausted brain began to wander towards home. My step mom and Nick were probably worried sick, and my dad was probably too busy dealing with any captives to worry about his disappointment son. To him, I was always the screw up. We were polar opposites; he liked chocolate, I like vanilla. He liked action movies, I liked comedies. His favorite color was brown, mine was blue. When we'd lived in the future, we'd had opposing political views. He believed military was the only way to go, and I wanted to work in culinary arts. There was no way I could please him. Tyler was the golden child in my father's mind. _Not for long_. I smiled at the thought of what would happen to Tyler as I followed the path around a sharp bend.

"Shit, Henry! Stop!" Maddy shouted from behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts. I skidded to halt and was shocked by what I'd nearly ran right upon. Barely ten feet down the path, a dark-skinned woman with feathers and beads strung through her hair stood with her back to us, a gun aimed at the chest of a soldier dressed in the clothing of Terra Nova's forces from the day before. She whirled around and snarled at the sight of us. I was shocked to realize that I stood within spitting distance of Mira, leader of the Sixers. I had only ever seen photos of the woman, yet I recognized her instantly. My blood ran cold and my heartbeat seemed to increase twofold.

"No!" the soldier cried, his voice cracked with fear.

"_You slimy mud-covered bastard._" Mira hissed, her voice pure venom. I didn't know which one of us she spoke to, for we were both caked in mud and grime.

"Leave him alone, Mira." I commanded, straightening my posture. I could immediately tell I was at least a couple inches taller than the Sixer. She laughed haughtily.

"Oh, little Rost. You fool. You're in quite the predicament, aren't you?" she purred.

"Leave him alone!" the soldier yelled, his voice still terror-stricken. Mira whipped around to glare at the soldier.

"Silence, imbecile!" she snapped, her voice like an icy-cold whip. In the fleeting moment I had while her back was to me, I slipped the gun from my pocket and held it at my side.

"You're done, Mira. You're outnumbered. Give up already. You've lost." The soldier reasoned when she turned to face Maddy and I again. His voice was eerily familiar, raising goose bumps on my arms.

"No, _you're_ done." She cried, whirling around to the solider.

"_NO!"_ my wild cry rang through the air. My body moved before I'd realized it, and in an instant I was crashing into Mira. The full weight of my body slammed into her just as she pulled the trigger, sending a bullet off-course into the thigh of the soldier. He let out a blood-curdling, feral scream and fell backwards. Adrenaline racing through my veins, I clubbed the vile Sixer across the face. Her body went limp and her eyes rolled back in her head before shutting. She wasn't dead, but she'd be unconscious for a long time. Whimpering in fear, Maddy approached the soldier while I took a length of cord and tied Mira's wrists together behind her back.

"Henry…you might want to check this out…" Maddy's voice trailed hesitantly.

"What?" I said, approaching Maddy and the soldier, whose pants were shiny with blood.

"_Henry…_" the soldier whimpered, holding his hand to me. I handed the gun to Maddy and nodded to Mira.

"Watch her." I instructed. Turning to the soldier, I bent down and took his hand. My sides screamed with fiery pain from exhaustion and injury. His face wasn't visible beneath his sweaty, grimy face mask. "Who are you?" I asked. The soldier coughed.

"Ma…mask…" he trailed off, his voice weak. Carefully, I undid the strap on one side of the mask and slowly slid the grimy mask off the soldier's face. _Oh, god, no. NO._

"Dad?"

**?! ****I hope you enjoyed this chapter; it was tons of fun to write! Do an author a favor and drop a review? You knwo you want to!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hey guys! I'm back with another update! Did the last chapter leave you hanging on the edge of your seat? Were you anxious to find out what happens next? well, here ya go!**

Chapter Thirty-Five

_No. No. This isn't possible. NO._

The chocolate brown eyes looking back at me, those which mirrored my own almost perfectly, were full of tears and terror. I let out a low, keening wail at the sight of my father. I could feel Maddy's eyes burning into my back.

"Henry…" he began.

"Dad, why?"

"I was…" he grimaced with pain. "…looking for you…stayed behind to find you."

"That was reckless, dad," I replied, my eyes watering. He managed a shrug and a half-hearted smile.

"You're my boy, Henry. It's my job…to keep you out of trouble." He told me, touching his leg. "This probably isn't very healthy."

"C'mon, dad. We need to get you home." I moved to pick up my father. He wasn't much bigger than I was, and I knew that despite being a long-time military hotshot, he had a slightly lower-than-average muscle mass. He shooed me away with his hands.

"Son, I'm bleeding out. It might help if you stop the bleeding first." He growled, though I sensed an edge of humor to his voice.

"Oh, uh, that might help." _Idiot._

"Go get my pack. I dropped it just a few yards back in the jungle so I could move quicker." My father said, pointing into a dark hole in the foliage he must've burst through.

"Maddy, keep an eye out." I instructed before disappearing into the jungle. I located the familiar brown pack quickly, finding it in the middle of a trampled trail of plant life. I carried the pack back to the main trail and sat it beside my father, who had managed to prop himself up so he wasn't flat on his back.

"Good. Before we get into this, find the blue can in the front pocket." My father ordered. Wordlessly, I searched for a moment and produced a small, blue can with a spray nozzle.

"What's this?" I asked.

"Liquid handcuffs. Use them on Mira."

"But she's already tied up." I said flatly. My father shock me a look of annoyance.

"Don't argue." He growled. Shrugging, I approached the unconscious Sixer. She was positioned haphazardly on her side, her face half in the dirt. Her wrists were still tied together.

"How?" I asked, looking back at my father.

"Shake it and spray it on her wrists." He instructed. I shook the can a couple times and then removed the cap. I hesitated.

"Should I remove the restraints?" My father shook his head. I shook the can a couple times more and aimed the nozzle at Mira's wrists. When I pressed down on the nozzle, a jet of blue foam coated Mira's wrists, spreading down over her hands until her wrists and hands were full encased in foam. Maddy let out a whistle of admiration.

"Cool," she murmured. I found a longer cord in one of the pockets of my father's pack and tied Mira's ankles together.

"Let that solidify. By the time it's done, it'll be rock-hard. Come help me, both of you." My father instructed. Maddy was more than happy to hand the gun to me. I put the gun a couple feet down the trial so it would be out of the way while we worked.

"What do we need?" Maddy asked.

"There's a first aid kit in the main compartment." My father replied. Maddy fished through the pack and quickly pulled out a large green case with a red medical cross painted on the front.

"Tie a couple layers of blue gauze around the wound. It'll shrink to help staunch the bleeding." My father, who was beginning to look pale, instructed.

"Scissors," I requested, holding my hand out. Maddy gave me the scissors and I immediately began to cut the leg of my father's pants open from the bottom.

"What're you doing?!" Maddy squealed.

"You have to get to the wound," I replied quickly, not shifting my focus from the task in front of me. I pulled the flaps of pants apart, revealing my father's blood-soaked leg. The red liquid dripped from a wound on my father's inner thigh that had turned his green underwear almost black. I began to cut at the underwear, but had to stop because my hands were shaking uncontrollably. My father put his hand on my arm.

"Calm down, Henry. It's okay. Take a deep breath." He counseled me. I shook my head.

"I…I can't do it." I said. Everything was silent for a few seconds.

"Let me do it." Maddy's steely voice came from right behind me. Letting out an involuntary breath of relief, I stood and moved out of the way for Maddy. I picked up the gun and moved between Mira and my father to stand guard. Maddy got right to work, slipping on gloves before cutting away fabric so she could see the wound. She wiped away the drying blood with an antiseptic wipe and began to quickly wrap wide, blue gauze around the wound. She sealed it with a metal closure. Listening to my father's instructions, she wrapped the slowly bleeding wound in layer upon layer of white gauze. She applied another dressing of blue gauze over the white. When she was done, she stood up and let out a breath of exhaustion. My father seemed visibly relieved as I approached.

"I can feel the compression gauze beginning to shrink already." He told us. I handed him a folded pair of pants I'd found in his pack.

"Will you be able to walk?" I asked. My father shook his head as he carefully pulled the pants on.

"If I had crutches, maybe, but seeing as there isn't a spare set lying around, I'm immobilized." He replied.

"I'll carry you." I offered.

"If you think you can, then I'll let you try, but who'll carry Mira?" my father responded.

"Mira's really not that big, you know. She's really skinny." Maddy piped up. I turned to look at her.

"Maddy, yesterday you could barely walk." I told her. She rolled her eyes.

"I can do this. Trust me." She contested.

"Fine. Go for it." I replied, giving in. She smiled smugly, happy to get her way. I packed up everything in the backpack and slipped it on my shoulders, buckling the straps across my chest. It was heavy, but the weight was distributed well. Leaning over my father, who held his arms out to me, I carefully heaved him up and over my shoulder into a fireman's carry. I cursed under my breath at the weight I held. Managing to turn, I found Maddy with Mira over her shoulders in a similar position, though Maddy had had the sense to blindfold and gag the unconscious woman beforehand. I grunted in acknowledgement before turning to follow the trail. My steps were slow and clumsy at first, but as time went on I began to adjust. I walked in long, fast strides and though it wasn't anywhere near as fast as running, the sound of the falls grew from a quiet hum into a low growl the closer we were.

It was a half hour later when we made the final descent off a side trail down to the falls. We followed a ridge down to the shore of the falls, an open expanse of hard-packed ground at the tree line that turned into solid stone near the water's edge. Two large waterfalls fifty feet up a cliff crashed down into a deep, dark stone pool of frothing, churning water. As the water overflowed the pool, it followed a wide stone streambed carved from thousands of years of erosion down through the clearing before disappearing down a ravine. Maddy carefully laid Mira down before pulling the pack off my shoulders. She sat it upright so my father could have support to sit against. I lowered my father down onto the ground, and he pulled himself into place against the pack.

"Is the water safe to drink?" Maddy asked, eyeing the water with longing.

"More or less." My father told her. Shrugging, Maddy walked to the water's edge and squatted down, cupping the fast-moving water in hands. I looked at my father.

"Do you have a canteen or something, dad?" I asked.

"Dropped it when Mira was tracking me. There's a cup in the main compartment, though." He replied. Without asking, I found the cup and filled it with cool, clear water. I brought it to my father, who accepted it wordlessly. I waited while he sipped it and then filled it again, repeating the process twice more. When he finished the cup and sat it on the smooth stone beside him, my move to take it was stopped by a shooing hand.

"Quit waiting on me, Henry. I don't need to be fawned over every second. I'm fine." My father snapped.

"But dad, you're-"

"Injured? Yeah, I realize that, Henry. That doesn't mean I'm helpless." He cut in. I turned away, my cheeks burning at his admonishment.

"Don't drink too much, Maddy. We've still got a couple miles before we hit the patrol road." I warned, not bothering to respond to my father. Now wasn't the time to get into an argument. At the water's edge, Maddy was stilling drinking handfuls of water. She looked up at me, wiped water off her face with the collar of her shirt and sat down on a large rock near my father, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"You need to drink, too, Henry." My father ordered. I grunted in acknowledgment and kneeled by the water. The stream rushed over smooth, dark stone as I cupped my hands and submerged them. Despite the warmth of the day, the water was cold and numbed my hands. I rubbed my hands together until they were devoid of the brownish accumulation of blood, sweat and grime that had built up in the past two days. Bringing a clean handful of water to my lips, I could feel every fiber of my body being invigorated with new life. Too soon, it was gone, and I had to refill my cupped hands. And then again, and again, and again…

"Henry, you might way to heed your own warning and stop drinking." Maddy's voice broke me from my stupor. She stood beside me, amused.

"Oh, uh, yeah…" Embarrassed, I stood and looked at my father, who was trying not to show his amusement.

"We need to eat." My father said, his voice sounding more of a command than a comment. I shrugged.

"We don't have anything." I told him. He shook his head.

"Dried fish in the pack."

"Jesus, dad! What do you _not _have in that pack?" I asked incredulously. From Maddy's stifled laugh and my father's smirk, I knew my eyes were bulging out of my head. It was a trait I'd unintentionally picked up from Adriana after spending so much time around her.

"Stop being such a drama queen and bring us some food." Maddy ordered, unable to maintain her serious façade. I found the smelly packets of dried fish and distributed it into three portions. I sat down between Maddy and my father with the dried bits of pink-orange fish filet. We crunched on the salty, dry stuff for a few minutes, hunger overtaking any desire to socialize. When the food was gone, we packed up and left quickly. We were rested and hydrated, and despite our bodies telling us to rest and heal, the desire to get out of the open and to safety drove all senses. It was fight or flight mode, and we had taken flight once again.

* * *

><p>With a combination of my own memory and my father's guidance, we followed the trail away from the falls for another mile before intercepting a road. It was wide enough for one patrol vehicle and was hard-packed with ruts that had been worn into the ground by use. The trees high above fanned out into a green canopy over our heads, casting green-tinted light onto the jungle floor. A pattern of marks carved deep into the trunks of the trees told my father we were on the right path.<p>

"This is the circle route that encompasses the colony. As the pterodactyl flies, we're still two or three miles out from the colony, but this road parallels it before turning into a straight shot home." My father explained as we trudged down the gently curving road. Through the occasional bare patch of canopy, we could see bright blue sky. A cool breeze blew down the road, cooling our sweat-soaked faces. The weight of my father had seemed to lessen as the day progressed, but the searing heat in my calves and the always-present sharp pains in my chest told me I was pushing my body beyond its natural limits. Maddy, still carrying the unconscious Mira, showed no signs of major exhaustion. Her face was pink in the sweltering afternoon heat, but her stride was solid and devoid of the shaking I could feel in my own legs.

For the first time since finding my father, I wondered what would happen next. We were so close to home, yet there was the undeniable question of what would happen to all of us when we returned. I would recover, I knew, and Maddy would, too, but my father was another story. He'd lost an alarming amount of blood and couldn't put any weight on his left leg. I hadn't even thought to check if the bullet was still in my father's leg. What if the bullet was dirty, or worse, poisoned? Would he ever walk again? The revelation that my father would likely be permanently injured hit me like a ton of bricks, and in a moment of distraction, my foot skipped against a rock, nearly causing me to fall flat on my face. Troubled by the idea and slightly disturbed by my lapse in attention, I focused on breathing. _In, out…in, out…take a deep breath. Calm down. You don't have anything to worry about. You're okay. Breathe._

I was so focused on calming my racing pulse that I nearly didn't hear Maddy's frantic shouting. Leaving my troubled thoughts in my mind, I snapped up my head to find Maddy had stopped walking a few yards behind me, leaving Mira unconscious in the middle of the road. She was sprinting to an armored, dark green patrol vehicle that drove toward us fifty yards down the road. She had her arms in the air and was flailing and yelling like a mad woman.

"Run, Henry! Get up there!" my father growled in my ear from his carrying position. I let him down and dropped the backpack beside him. I ran back to Mira and began to drag her by the wrists. Maddy had reached the patrol and two armed soldiers were already speaking to her. She was motioning and talking with wide gestures to my father and I. One of the soldiers barked an order and a third solider jumped out of the vehicle and sprinted toward us, carrying a short rod in one hand.

"I don't want her waking up and trying to pull anything!" I shouted my father as I hurried past him. He let out a growl of annoyance. As the sprinting soldier and I passed, we exchanged a nod of acknowledgment but didn't slow down.

When I finally got to the patrol, I let go of Mira's arms and doubled over, heaving with exhaustion. My ribs were burning, but the pain went unnoticed as adrenaline filled my veins with new life. While I recovered from dragging Mira's body, Maddy continued to tell the two soldiers of our flight from the Badlands. I eventually managed to stand upright, though my chest was still heavy with pain. A fourth soldier clambered out of the back of the patrol vehicle and was inspecting Mira.

"Ma'am, you might want to see this." The fourth soldier said, identifying as male. The soldier who'd sent the soldier to help my father looked past me and sauntered over to Mira. She pulled off her helmet and let out a long, low whistle. Her wavy brown hair, tied back in a tight ponytail, fluttered in the breeze. She young, twenty-five or twenty-six at most.

"Somebody pinch me. This is _not_ real." She said after inspecting the unconscious Sixer. When the second soldier, another man, made a move to pinch her, she slapped his hand away with a hiss. "I didn't mean it literally, Thompson." I managed a smile.

"She shot my father." I said. The woman turned on her heels at the sound of my voice. Her grey eyes pierced my eyes like needles. An intent smile spread across her light brown face.

"Ah, so you're the famous Henry Rost." She said, her voice a silky purr.

"I don't know about the famous part, but yeah, that's me."

"Officer Shane Finch. I've heard quite a bit about you. You've got a lot of nerve to go on a solo mission into the Sixers' lair." She replied, introducing herself.

"It wasn't my idea." I told her.

"That doesn't matter. You risked your skin to save a couple of girls. That's pretty impressive, considering you're only sixteen." She remarked.

"I did what I had to do." I replied, rubbing the sore place on my chest. I winced at the pain that shot across my torso. Her eyes followed my hand I knew she knew I was hurt.

"You're injured." It wasn't a question, but rather, a statement.

"Sonic blast underground at close range in a small space. It feels like I've got a couple broken ribs." I explained. Maddy covered a fit of laughter with a few dry coughs. Thompson handed her a canteen of water. A cloud of concern shadowed Finch's eyes for a few seconds before she spoke.

"You'll be checked out as soon as we get back, but we've got a more pressing injury to attend to, I think." She replied, her eyes trailing behind me. I turned around to see the third soldier supporting my father as he limped toward the patrol. The soldier had slung the backpack over her shoulder and had an arm around my father while he had his arm wrapped around her shoulders for support. His face was pink with effort. I rushed to my father's other side and gave him more support to lean on. The soldier led him around to the open back hatch of the vehicle and helped him in before attending to his various minor cuts and scratches. I returned to Maddy and listened as she told the story of her imprisonment. Hearing all the details of her imprisonment left the soldiers visibly disturbed.

"…when you guys attacked, the guard took off to join the fighting, and a little later the sonic gun fell into the cell. Adriana blew the door off its hinges and took off, and a while later, Henry showed up and helped me escape." Maddy said, finishing her story. We'd already told them what had happened in the past day and a half and didn't feel the need to repeat it.

"Harrowing as it is, we need to get back to the colony. There's space in the back of the rover for you guys." Finch told us. We went around to the back and climbed in beside my father while Thompson and Finch loaded Mira into the back. Finch hopped in the front seat and turned the vehicle on, waiting only a couple seconds as it roared to life before turning around and speeding in the direction they'd been coming from. Thompson, who sat in the passenger seat beside Finch, radioed a message.

"All active units, this is patrol B-5. We have Henry Rost and Maddy Shannon. I repeat, we have Henry Rost and Maddy Shannon."

"How far away are we from the colony?" Maddy asked.

"From where we picked you guys up, it's about six miles." Finch replied, slowing down to go over a series of bumps in the road.

"Do you have any food?" Maddy inquired. The woman who'd tended to my father's minor injuries, who sat in the back with us, produced a container of dried pieces of apple from her pack.

"Here, have some." She offered, holding the container out to us. She pushed a loose strand of brown hair back into her helmet and smiled as Maddy, my father and I each plucked a handful of apples from the container. We ate in silence as the soldiers talked about daily going-ons in the colony while the radio buzzed with chatter from other soldiers.

"Across the bridge up here, we're meeting another patrol vehicle. We've got to finish our patrol, so they'll give you guys a lift back to the colony. We're taking Mira, though." Finch told us after awhile, glancing in the mirror at us. I was glad to be rid of Mira; even unconscious, her presence unnerved me. The rover lumbered across a wooden bridge that was built over a rushing creek ten feet wide before pulling off to the side of the widened road. A few minutes later, another rover came around the corner and park ten yards away. The driver's door opened and a tall soldier got out. He was unarmed and when he pulled off his helmet, Maddy let out a shocked gasp. She immediately began to scramble around anxiously.

"_Oh my god_! Let me out! Let me out! Get me out of here! _Now_!" she screeched. Thompson ran around to the back and pulled the hatch open. Maddy fell on the ground in her haste to climb out of the vehicle. She scrambled to her feet and took off in a sprint. I jumped out and went around the vehicle to see what had her so excited. She nearly jumped into the arms of the soldier, crying with relief. It wasn't until she cried his name out that I made the connection.

"Mark! OhmygodImissedyousomuchIloveyouohmygodI'msogladit' syou!" She spoke so quickly her words blended together. I waited until she was calmer before approaching. Mark Reynolds, always composed and put together, had tears streaking his tan face. I smiled and held my hand out as he spied me. A smile crossed his face at the sight of my approach.

"Henry, I owe the world to you. If you hadn't brought Maddy back to me, I don't know what I would've done. I'm forever in your debt, man." He told me, shaking my hand before pulling me into a brief hug.

"You're welcome, man. I was just doing my job." I replied, smiling.

"Henry, you're a gem. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't found me." Maddy said, hugging me gratefully.

"When I got the message that they had you guys, I immediately volunteered to come out here." Mark told us when Maddy had released me from her hug and had gone back to Mark's side.

"I don't blame you. In your place, I would've done the same thing." I replied.

"It was the scariest thing ever, not knowing where Maddy was and if she was okay."

"I know the feeling, man. Speaking of which…" I trailed off, collecting my words. "...has Adriana turned up?" I asked. Mark's smile fell into a grim line. He shook his head.

"Nothing yet. You'll be one of the first contacted if we hear anything." He replied. I let out a sad sigh and smiled grimly. He put his hand on my shoulder for a second. "Don't worry, Henry. You know her better than almost anyone, don't you? She'll turn up."

"Thanks. Does my family know I was found?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Your stepmom and brothers were notified and will be there to greet you when we get back to the colony. They're all very relieved you're alive." Mark explained. I blinked in surprise.

"Brothers? As in, plural?" I asked in confirmation. Mark looked at me with confusion.

"Yeah, brother_s_. You didn't forget you have two brothers, right?"

"No, of course not. It's just that…well, never mind." I stopped myself before I could reveal anything. I smiled. "Don't worry about it. But thanks for making sure they know I'm okay. Do they know about my dad?"

"We told them he is injured but awake and alert. He's going straight to the clinic for treatment." Mark replied, nodding to my father, who was being helped to the second rover.

"Can I go with him to the clinic?" I asked.

"Of course. You've got to get those ribs checked out, anyway." He reminded me, the dull throbbing in my chest coming to the front of my mind. I winced at the pain. A beefy _honk!_ from Finch's rover was our signal to load up.

"Let's go, then. Finch doesn't seem like the type to keep waiting." I replied, climbing into the back seat of the rover beside my father. Mark and Maddy followed suit and climbed into the vehicle. Starting the rover, Mark made a 180° turn and drove off in the opposite direction. The sound of Finch's vehicle turning to go in the opposite direction faded until it was just us, our voices loud over sound of the engine as we tore down the road, towards our home and our loved ones.

* * *

><p>"You're lucky, Mr. Rost, that the bullet went through your leg and exited out." Dr. Lucille Prevot said from her place beside my father's bed. The bed was angled so my father sat upright, a clean blanket covering his leg dressings. I sat at the end of the bed with stiff dressings wrapped around my chest to hold together the fresh incisions made during surgery earlier in the day. My stepmom, younger brother Nick, and older brother Tyler -whose presence left me confused- were gathered around the bed to listen to Dr. Prevot's diagnosis.<p>

"What would've happened had it not exited my body?" my father asked, taking a sip from the mug of warm tea on his bedside table.

"In the time it would've been in your leg, it could've infected your blood with god knows what sort of prehistoric virus. I wouldn't put it past the Sixers figure out how to poison bullets, or at the very least, shoot grime-covered bullets." Dr. Prevot replied.

"So in other words, I was lucky." He replied. She smiled and nodded.

"Somewhat, yes. You weren't very lucky considering it took out a significant portion of flesh from your inner thigh. I'm sure that with some physical therapy, you'll be able to get around, but you'll probably never again walk without quite a limp. Henry, however, definitely got by on sheer luck." She said, turning to look at me.

"How close was I to death?" I asked, the question half-rhetoric.

"Considering we had to go in and pull a sizable piece of broken rib from between two of your ribs that was dangerously close to dislodging and falling onto other organs in your body, I'd say you scraped by on luck." She told me, a twinkle in her eye.

"They'll both live though?" Tyler said. Hearing his voice for the first time since discovering made my skin crawl.

"Of course. Your father lost a lot of blood, but he'll recover. Henry's just going to have to spend the next month or so giving his ribs time to heal." Dr. Prevot replied.

The way his eyes darkened at her words were evidence enough of his guilt.

**What's next for Henry's father? What is Tyler's angle for hanging around? And most importantly, where the HELL is Adriana?!**

**Leave a lovely review, would ya? C'mon, you know you want to.**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hey guys! I'm back with an update, and let me tell you-this one is _gooood!_ I'm excited to really get Adriana back in the picture, and I hope you are too!**

Chapter Thirty-Six

Adriana

_Run. Run. Run. _

_Don't stop. _

_Run and don't stop._

Instinct took over, and I ran. I ran up the stairs. I ran outside and darted between fighting men and women. Blood was everywhere and bullets flew through the air. I only saw straight ahead and didn't slow down once. I didn't run for the immediate jungle, but took off across the dry, hard-packed ground towards the distant jungle on the horizon, maybe a mile away. I ran as fast as possible and was at the tree line in minutes. My pace was slowed for only a moment as I hit the solid wall of foliage before I found a winding game trail. I blazed down it for what seemed like seconds, but must've been thirty or forty minutes, before my adrenaline began to ebb away. As I began feel exhaustion overtake my body, I slowed to a brisk walk. As my heart rate decreased, so did the pace of my walk until I was meandering down the barely visible trail at a snail's pace, my legs wobbly. Giving into exhaustion, I slumped down on a rotting log and listened to the sound of my deep breaths.

_I'm free_. The words filled my head involuntarily, sending goose bumps across my arms.

"I'm free." I said aloud, echoing my thoughts. As if in confirmation, the delighted squawk of a small creature in a tree rebounded through the air. Smiling, I let out a laugh of delight. In reality, the sound of my laugh was dry and pathetic, but to my ears it was rich and resplendent with joy. I stood after a few more minutes of silence.

"Now that _I'm free_, I've got to get home. Now, I don't know what direction I was running, but I'm sure that if I follow this trail it'll lead to water and then…" I spoke my thoughts aloud as I walked, devising an incomplete strategy that grew in complexity until it was too dark to see and I had to stop for the night. I curled up against a large fallen tree in a small depression of damp leaves and pulled my arms inside my dirty red blouse. The sweet release of tension in my back and feet released me into a jumbled, jolting dreamland of jagged, twisting orange, yellow and white shapes that circled me restlessly.

* * *

><p>The morning symphony of wildlife stirred me from sleep. Slowly, gingerly, sitting up, I yawned silently and stood. I arched my back, feeling the luxurious sensation of awakening from a restful sleep. I rubbed my eyes unconsciously and was reminded of how any lingering traces of mascara had rubbed away long ago. It was a trivial thing to think about, but it further reminded me of how my life had changed so drastically. The thick cover of trees made the post-dawn light weaker at the forest floor, suspending everything in a cool, twilight-lit world. The first thing I noticed was a burning need for sustenance. My tongue felt like a thick slab of sandpaper in my mouth and my throat was so dry my breathing created a faint whistle in the back of my throat. As if on cue, my stomach growled angrily, reminding me I hadn't ate in days. Granted, the Sixers hadn't ever given us much, but even the bits of overripe fruit seemed appetizing as I listened to my hollow stomach growl in protest. We were only fed if there was something nobody wanted, and it had been two full days since I'd had anything to eat. Today was day three, and I knew that if I didn't find food soon, things would get much, much worse.<p>

I followed the same game trail as the day before at a brisk walk. I was weak and malnourished and I knew saving my energy was essential. Thankfully, the air was full of moisture, and while it had no impact on my thirst, it was cool and invigorating on my face.

When the scent of water hit my nose, I unconsciously picked up my pace. Around a short bend, the game trail stopped on one side of a small, rocky streambed two feet wide, and picked up on the other side. The water was hardly more than a trickle, but by removing a rock the size of my fist, I created a hole in the streambed that began to collect cool, cloudy water. I waited a couple minutes for the sediment to settle before cupping the water in my hands. The sensation of cold water running down my dry, whistling throat was indescribable; I almost cried with relief. I sat by the stream for over half an hour, letting the pool slowly fill up each time before drinking the water. I considered trying to clean my long, dirty mat of hair, but dismissed the notion almost immediately; it would've taken too long and would've done nothing more than contaminate the stream. When my hollow stomach was filled to the limit with water, I reluctantly replaced the stone and continued on my way home.

* * *

><p>Crouching behind the thick fronds of a fern, I observed the small blue and grey building before me. It stood in the middle of a wide clearing full of sunlight and dry grass, with a metal cage around the door. A narrow dirt road led off in a general northwesterly direction, though it appeared to be rarely utilized. Most of the windows were frosted-over glass behind metal cages, but one facing my hiding place in the trees had clear glass. I'd come upon the building by accident and, not knowing who or what could be in it, decided to observe it for a while. From its outward appearance, there was no sign it was inhabited. I knew, however, not to judge a book by its cover, and was determined to get inside.<p>

My heart racing, I bolted across the clearing and dove into the bushes beneath the clear window. I waited silently for a few minutes before daring to move, and even then, very slowly. I rose to my full height and cautiously looked in between the bars of the window

A small metal cot with a dark blue blanket and white pillow sat against the wall in the left corner against the wall the window was on. A wooden desk, covered with papers and drawings, was on the right wall. Two wooden armoires stood on either side of the doorway. A small hamper was tucked in the right corner opposite of the head of the bed. With white walls and wood flooring, the room seemed serious and unfriendly, yet little details -the disarray of the desk, a light green shirt hanging out of the hamper, wrinkles in the blue blanket on the bed- made the room feel comfortable and lived-in. I felt exposed standing against the wall, my skin itching as though I were being observed. I knew I was alone, but my nerves got the better of me and I dove back into the bushes after a few more seconds.

I waited a few more minutes in the bushes to make sure I was alone before edging along the side of the building to the big cage surrounding the door. A button and speaker were attached to a pole in the fence. My heart racing, I stepped forward and held down the button.

"Hello?" I called, releasing the button.

"Who's there? Who are you?" the sound of a surprised woman's voice split through the air after what seemed like an eternity.

"I need help. I was a prisoner and I escaped. I've been running since yesterday." I replied.

"Who are you?" the woman replied.

"Adriana Prevot, m'am. I haven't seen any of my family or friends in a really long time." I explained. There was a jarring buzz, and then the lock on the cage door clicked. I pulled the door open and slipped inside. The door swung shut behind me and an almost inaudible click told me I was locked in. _No turning back now._

The door to the building, pushed a few feet back into an overhanging ledge in the building, swung open and a thin woman with light hair stepped out. A look of disgust flashed across her face for an instant before she placed her fingers on my shoulders and guided me inside through the door. It closed behind us, and for a few seconds we were enveloped in darkness as she led me down a short hallway that ended in a door with a glass window. She opened the door and led me into the main room.

The room was square with brown walls and sand-colored stone flooring. It was cool inside and well lit. The right wall was occupied by a long table with a variety of samples, experiments, and tools spread across its length. A large, circular desk filled the middle of the room. It was open on one side and had enough space for a couple rolling chairs. There were short shelves going around the desk, reminding me of the front desk in the waiting room of a doctor's office. A computer sat on the desk, where the woman had evidently been at work doing something before I'd made my presence known. On the north wall, there was a closed door, which I assumed led to the room I'd seen earlier, as well as a small table and two chairs beside a miniature kitchen area. On the eastern wall was a slightly ajar door that opened into a small blue bathroom, as well as another closed door. Tucked in one corner of the room was a multi-leveled, carpeted structure with sisal-wrapped columns and two ramps the led to higher levels. A pile of black fuzz was tucked away in the corner of the uppermost platform.

While I took in my surroundings, the woman sat me down at the table and quickly set to work on heating a kettle of water. I waited silently while she worked and gratefully accepted the warm mug when she handed it to me. Bringing the mug to my lips, I sipped slowly at the warm, seasoned tea before looking at her. She was older, with delicate-looking skin and a slightly wrinkled face. Her hair was a light, mousy brown and was streaked with white. Despite the signs of age, she was quite pretty.

"Thank you." I told her, managing a smile despite my pounding heart. She smiled back, revealing perfectly straight teeth.

"You're welcome, dear." She replied, her voice soft and gentle, like she was talking to a frightened child. We sat in silence for a while longer, sipping our tea.

"What is this place?" I finally asked, curiosity winning over. She smiled.

"Outpost two." She explained without saying more.

"Who are you?" I inquired, meeting the woman's light blue eyes.

"Doctor Margret St. Marin, lead field researcher. You can call me Margret." She said proudly, her eyes shining. The way she pronounced her last name gave me the impression she grew up in France and I had to stop myself from switching to French.

"Are you alone?" I asked, glancing around the room. I noted two small bowls tucked against one side of the little refrigerator, one filled with water and the other empty.

"There aren't any other people here with me, if that's what you mean." She replied, turning her head to look at the multi-leveled tower in the corner. To my surprise, a small fur-covered creature climbed down off the top platform and jumped from level to level before trotting across the floor to where we sat at the table. It jumped into Margret's lap without a second thought and began to emit a low, rumbling sound as she stroked it.

"Is that-?" I began.

"A cat? Yes, she is a cat." Margret replied, scratching the cat under its chin.

"Does it…she…have a name?"

"Shadow. She's three years old." Margret answered, smiling as she ran her fingers over Shadow's ears. Without warning, Shadow hopped onto the table and sauntered over to me and let out a hopeful burst of sound. _What's word for those noises she keeps making?_

"She's talking to you!" Margret said, smiling.

"What d'you mean, _talking_?" I asked, confused. Margret shrugged.

"Well, meowing." _Meowing. She meowed at me._ I stored the word in my head for future reference.

"Can I…?" I tried to articulate, but couldn't find words.

"You can pet her," Margret said, smiling. Hesitantly, I reached out and touched my hand to Shadow's back and let it glide along her flank. Her fur was silky and smooth, softer than Gracie's, and didn't smell strongly of animal. She made a sound of pleasure and rubbed her jaw on my hand. I began to scratch her chin as Margret had and could feel a smile spreading across my face.

"She's so soft," I commented quietly.

"She really seems to like you. Do you hear how loud she's purring?" Margret asked. _Purring._

"Is she the only cat in existence?" I asked.

"Here, at least." Margret replied, and then shrugged. "I don't know about the future, though. There might be some left, but my guess is as good as yours."

"How did she come to exist?" I asked.

"She came through portal as an embryo, and when I was still in the main colony, I raised her in a test tube until she was fully developed." She explained.

"How is the possible?" I asked, amazed that the glorious creature before me was developed in a test tube and _survived_. Margret shrugged.

"It was a very demanding, complicated process. I doubt you want to hear about it. Instead, tell me about what's happened to your over the past few months." She replied.

"It's been _months_?!" I reeled with shock. Margret nodded.

"Today's April fourteenth. You've been missing for over three months, Adriana."

* * *

><p>For the next hour, I sat at the table with Shadow curled up in my lap as I recounted my story, starting at the night of the kidnapping. When I told her of Tyler, and the evil way he violated me and how he was the son of one of Taylor's most trusted men, I could see goose bumps raising on her arms. She listened avidly as I told her of mine and Maddy's plans to escape, and by the time I got the point in my story where I'd made my escape from the compound, she was sitting on the edge of her seat, leaning forward. She hung on every word I said. When I finished, she sat back in her chair and let out a long, low whistle.<p>

"You're a lot braver than you give yourself credit, Adriana." She told me, grinning.

"Am I?" I asked, a little surprised. "I've never considered myself more than a scared teenage girl."

"I don't know of any other sixteen-year-old girl who has the nerve to blast down a door in an enemy compound after being half-starved and raped. You were probably scared witless, but you still did what you did." She elaborated. I smiled.

"Thank you. I've never thought I was brave."

"Bravery isn't based on the amount of scary things you do; it's based on you being scared and still pushing forward through your terror to do the right thing." Margret replied, flashing a smile.

"I just wanted to do the right thing." I told her. Shadow let out a chirp and pawed at my hand as I momentarily stopped petting her. I scratched her back and, satisfied that she hadn't been forgotten, Shadow resumed purring, her pale green eyes sliding shut in contentment.

"Which is why I let you in. I'm not much of a people person, but I knew that to turn away someone who looks like they haven't had a good meal in months would've been a bad decision." Margret replied.

"If I had been someone healthy, you wouldn't have let me in?" I asked, chilled by her words. She shrugged.

"I don't know, honestly. Don't worry about it, though, okay? Like everyone else, I'm human and I have my little idiosyncrasies that I adhere to. Right now, though, the thing to do would be for you clean up. There's a shower in the bathroom, and I'll find some clean clothes you can wear. I'll leave them outside the bathroom." Margret replied, smiling. She stood and took our empty tea mugs to the sink. I picked up Shadow and held her as I stood.

"Thank you." I said, blinking gratefully to Margret.

"You're welcome. Take as long as you need; I imagine it'll take a little work to get yourself clean." I bade her goodbye and placed Shadow on the floor before crossing the room to the bathroom.

I was struck by the bathroom's opulence. A large, frosted window let in an abundance of light. The shower was large and had glass doors. The floors and walls were outfitted in shiny blue tiles, and the toilet was the same bright, clean white color of the porcelain sink. There was a large, gilded mirror mounted above the sink, and I was slow to approach it. I didn't want to see what imprisonment had done to my body, but curiosity won over. I moved in front of the mirror with my head down. I released a deep breath and looked up, unintentionally sucking in a deep breath of shock.

The hair near my scalp was plastered against my head by layer upon layer of dried mud, while the rest hung limply at my waist in stringy clusters. My eyebrows were dark from an accumulation of sweat and grime. A sheen of oil covered my face, the flat planes of my face on either side of my nostrils seemed especially greasy. A fine layer of dust and dirt coated every uncovered inch of my skin, making me appear tan, though I could see the sickly paleness of my skin radiating underneath. I'd lost my earrings and I could see that the holes had begun to close. As I turned my head from side to side, the light hit my eyelashes just right and I noted how lengthy and blonde they had become. I let my jeans slide over my legs and pulled my stiff blouse over my head. The hair on my legs was long and blonde. My whole body was significantly slimmer, and I could see my collarbone beneath the mud on my chest. My bra was stained with sweat and oil. I slipped off my too-big underwear and bra and left them in a heap with the shirt and jeans.

I found coconut-scented shampoo and conditioner below the sink, as well as a wide-toothed comb, and walked into the shower. I turned on the water and let out a soft cry of happiness as the warm water hit my skin. I spent a long time working the comb through my hair, removing most of the mud and grime before adding a generous amount of shampoo. I let it sit in my hair while I worked at scrubbing grime off my body. I rinsed out the shampoo and repeated the process with conditioner. When I was done, I went back for a second round of shampoo and conditioner, and then a third, before I felt clean.

Turning off the water, I stepped out of the shower and dried off with a blue towel. Opening the door a crack, I picked up the neat little pile of clothing and shut myself in the steamy room again. Margret had found for me a light blue button-up shirt, khaki-colored shorts and a set of white underclothes. I dressed in them and reveled at the clean, crispness of the fabric. They fit well enough, if not a little large. I opened the window to help let out the steam and went back to the mirror, taking in my appearance. My damp hair passed my shoulder blades and was as long as it had been before I'd cut it on my birthday. My skin seemed rejuvenated and glowed under the white lights of the bathroom. My face was narrow, but I was relived that my eyes didn't appear sunken and overly-large. It was a relief to see that apart from being thin and a little malnourished, I wasn't too sickly in appearance. As I exited the bathroom, Margret waved me over to the wall the experiment table was set up along.

"I want to weigh you. I figured it'd be more accurate once you had all the mud and whatnot off your body, but I forgot that your hair would be wet. What did you weigh the last time you checked?" She asked. I shrugged.

"Maybe one-seventy. I believe the last time I weighed myself was right after Christmas." I told her.

"Probably gained a little after a Christmas feast, eh?" she replied, elbowing me. I couldn't help but smile; despite being at least forty years older than I was, she could make a decent joke.

"Probably," I replied, shrugging.

"Do you remember if your hair was wet or dry when you weighed in?"

"It probably would've been wet, since I usually weigh myself right after getting out of the shower." I told her.

"Wonderful. Step up on the scale, then. We'll take this measurement as true. We'll just have to remember to only weigh you when your hair is wet for the most accurate results." Margret replied, motioning to a square white scale she'd pulled out from under the experiment table. I stepped up and looked straight ahead, waiting silently while Margret watched the scale. She let out a long, low whistle after a few seconds.

"One-seventeen." Margret said slowly, writing the number down in a small notebook full of her curly handwriting. "You lost…" she trailed off as she did the mental math.

"I lost fifty-three pounds in three months." I said in the short span of silence.

"Exactly. We'll get you on a daily weigh-in schedule. Every morning after showering, come weigh in and record it. It'll be interesting to see how your body begins to heal itself from the hell it's been through."

* * *

><p>"I worked for a private company in Los Angeles that dealt with mentally unstable public figures. At the time, I was a psychiatrist by profession and it was my job to assess their mental capabilities and serve as counselor to them as they went through an eight-week treatment program. I've seen countless household names make complete one-eighties in terms of behavior and mental state. Politicians, movie stars, athletes, CEOs- you name someone, and chances are, I've worked with them." Margret explained as she cooked dinner. I sat at the table drawing as we conversed, though I'd become so intent on my work that it had quickly become a one-sided conversation. Margret had handed me a bundle of color pencils, a sheet of paper and told me to draw my feelings. When I'd asked for more specific instructions, she smiled and wished me luck.<p>

A palette of colors ranging from fiery reds and oranges to cool blues and purples mingled across the page in a messy symphony. There were hard lines that cut small, uneven zigzag patterns across the page in varying intensities of red, and smudged, softer yellow ones that wisped about like a cheerful breeze. Curls of green snaked around the borders, enclosing everything else inside. A yellow and dark blue box with a triangle attached to the top formed itself near the top of the page. Dark stick figures danced across the paper with ease; couples both young and old, as well as eight small figures hand in hand, each topped with a plume of yellow, brown, or orange. A black and white circle encased in a red heart. Plumes of orange and yellow mixed as though in an embrace. Curls of yellow and wisps of flowing dark brown flowed together into a small brown bundle of wavy lines. Pairs of eyes, whether chocolate brown or blue-grey-green, formed. A grey triangle formed itself in the center of the page. Inside, three colored-in circles: blue, red, and pale purple.

A clear splatter landed over the triangle, soaking into the paper. It took me a few seconds to realize the drop had come from me, and when I touched my cheek, it was slick with tears. I looked up and found Margret had been watching me with her arms crossed, a wooden spoon in her hand. There was a concerned look about her face, but she made no move to comfort me. I smiled weakly and tried to continue drawing, but Margret's unwavering gaze burned into me.

"Sorry," I apologized, looking up at her. She smiled softly.

"You're fine. I turned around to see why you'd stopped talking and saw that you were getting really into your drawing, but I didn't want to disturb you." she replied. I glanced back down at my paper.

"I'm done with this," I told her, holding the paper up. She moved a pot of noodles off the stove onto a pot holder and clicked off the heat. Smiling, she took the paper from me and placed it on the desk in the middle of the room beside the computer.

"I'll look at that later and take some notes." She explained as she sat a plate of food in front of me. She retrieved her own food and then brought over two drinks. She placed one cup, full of thick, mint-green liquid I recognized as a nutrient shake, in front of me and sat down. The intensity of my starvation finally revealed itself, and I was overcome by a primal desire to eat. I stabbed at the food with a fork and shoveled as much into my mouth as I could. I was_ so_ hungry. I demolished the plate in minutes, while Margret sat eating delicate little morsels of food. The food was delicious and rich, and I licked the plate clean before stalking back over to the counter to pile my plate with a second helping of noodles and vegetables. I sat down and ate again, though not as ravenously as before. I polished off the second plate and went back for a third, and then a fourth, before my hunger was completely sated. I rinsed the plate in the sink and left it before lying on the floor to pet Shadow, who had stretched out across the cool stone floor. Stretched out from tail to nose, the black cat was about the length of my arm as I repeatedly passed my hand over her soft, silky black fur. She purred with contentment, and in response, I began to talk to her, cooing and talking to her like she was a small child. Margret was doing something somewhere, but I was lost in the calming motion of stroking Shadow. My eyelids grew heavy. All the stress of my life, everything that had happened in the last months, melted away into oblivion as I steadily became groggy. Without realizing it, I slipped into peaceful sleep, Shadow's purring image leading me through a cloud-filled wonderland.

* * *

><p>When I woke, I was lying in a small cot, wrapped in a dark blue blanket. There was a warm spot between my feet where Shadow lay asleep. My hair was tangled and I wore the same clothing as the night before. I sat up and glanced around the room. It was small with blue walls and a wood floor. It was empty of furniture other than a stiff-looking chair and an armoire. One of the doors to the armoire was slightly ajar, and from my place in bed, I could see blue and green button-down shirts had been neatly hung for me. I smiled and slowly pulled my legs out from under the blanket and swung them over the bed. I froze in place for a second as I stood, expecting the ritual stabs of pain through my brain, but was pleasantly surprised to find that my head wasn't pounding. <em>All that food.<em>

Smiling, I approached the armoire and swung open both doors. There were five or six shirts in total, all with the same style of three-quarter-length sleeves. I pulled the drawer on the bottom of the armoire open and found it stocked with shorts, pants, and undergarments. My smile grew even larger as I slipped on a light green shirt and khaki-colored shorts. After all the food I'd had the night before, I expected I'd gained weight, and Margret must've anticipated that as well, because the clothes were much larger than I needed and fit loosely. I was thankful for the belt I found in the drawer with the shorts and pants.

I sat beside the cot for a while and stroked Shadow, letting the comfort it brought wash over me like a warm shower. Shadow purred contently, and I could faintly sense that I was humming in time with her purring. The feeling of calm that Shadow brought over me was therapeutic; it helped me forget all my problems and pains and filled me with an unbreakable calm.

"Morning," Margret greeted me as I left my room. She was chopping a small cooked fish filet into small slices.

"Good morning. Thanks for the clothes." I replied, smiling.

"Experiments can get kind of messy sometimes, so scientists who stay at outposts get plenty of extra clothing." She explained. "It just seemed like plain ole' logic to give you new clothes after having to wear the same stuff for three months."

"I appreciate it. I used to stress over what I wore like every other teenage girl, but now, I'm just happy to have clean clothes." I told her.

"Of course…ah, there you are, you lazy little lump!" Margret's attention shifted behind me to Shadow, who was moseying across the room from her place on my bed. She went to Margret first and rubbed against her legs in greeting before coming to me with expectant look on her face. Smiling, I bent down and scratched her under the chin.

"She was sleeping at my feet when I woke up." I told Margret, who smiled.

"I know; she followed me when I picked you up off the floor and put you in bed last night." She replied, picking up one of the small bowls from its place on beside the refrigerator. She used a fork to push the chopped fish into the bowl and placed it on the floor. Shadow ran to the bowl and hunched over, the sounds of smacking lips audible. I laughed at the little black cat's zeal for food.

"You'd think that for a cat that likes food so much, she'd be a little rounder." I mused.

"The cats whose DNA came together to make Shadow were both quite small, but even genetics will only go so far." Margret replied. "All the pigging out will catch up to her someday." She added with a brief smile as she watched the cat eat.

"Speaking of food, what can I have for breakfast?" I asked, glancing hopefully at the refrigerator.

"You've got to shower and weigh in before you eat." She insisted. I feigned a grown of annoyance. Margret laughed at my dramatics.

"Fine, I'll starve for another half hour." I said, trying to conceal a smile.

"Go on, then. You starved for three months, so you can starve for another thirty minutes." She replied, waving me off.

"Do you have shaving razors or anything like that? I feel like I'm covered in fur."

"There's a couple unused ones under the sink in the bathroom." Margret replied.

"Okay," I replied, heading to the bathroom.

"Oh! When you're done eating, I want you to come record a video for me. I notified the colony of your appearance here and told them I'd send an update today." Margret called just as I was about to shut the door.

"Didn't you tell them I'm okay?" I asked.

"Yes, but I want _you_ to tell them that. Seeing you alive and well will calm their nerves significantly." She explained.

"What about…"I trailed off, the words a jumble in my mind.

"Maddy Shannon? She's home safe. She was rescued from the Sixers' compound the same day you broke out." Margret finished my thought. A wave of relief flooded over me.

"Who saved her?" I asked. Margret shook her head.

"I didn't recognize the name. Does the name 'Henry Rost' ring a bell?" At the sound of his name, my heart skipped a beat.

_Henry._

**I am SO pumped to be getting to this stage in the story! Things are finally beginning to come together, and Adriana's time with the Sixers is FINALLY over. I hope you guys are enjoying it! **

**Why don't ya leave a review? C'mon, ya know ya want to!**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hey guys! This update took a little longer than expected due to some very serious (and thankfully, very _brief_) writer's block. Thankfully, I got past it and finished this chapter. Enjoy!**

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Henry

When my mother stuck her head in my room in the middle of the night with the call I'd been waiting three months for, I was out the door in ten seconds flat. I hadn't bothered to put on real clothes or shoes, and when I hit the gravel at a dead sprint, small rocks bit into my feet. My feet burned, but adrenaline forced the pain out of my mind as I practically flew toward the colony's headquarters near the main gate. Soldiers posted on guard paid no heed to me, likely knowing my purpose. I flew up the bamboo stairs and skidded into the Commander's circular office. He sat at his glass-topped desk, scrolling through his computer nonchalantly. He seemed surprised at my sudden appearance, but quickly regained his steely composure as he stood.

"Well? Where is she?!" I said, my chest heaving as I scanned the room for Adriana. The Commander stood and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Compose yourself, Henry. She's not here." He said, slightly tightening the grip on my shoulder.

"Where, then?" I asked, putting my hands on my knees. The Commander went back to the chair at his desk as I sucked in long, deep breaths.

"That will be announced soon enough. I'm waiting for the others to get here."

"What others are there?" I asked, standing straight.

"Adriana's parents, brother, uncle, aunt, cousin, and friends." The Commander responded. _Duh, you idiot. _I was glad the room wasn't well lit, or the Commander would've seen my embarrassment.

"Which friends?" I inquired.

"Us," Jenna's cool voice replied from the doorway. Turning around, I watched as May, Jenna, Maddy and Josh came into the room. Josh was the only one wearing real clothes; the girls all wore pajamas and looked like they'd just crawled out of bed. It was strange seeing May and Jenna wearing glasses, because they normally didn't, and it was even more foreign seeing all three without a trace of makeup. May looked me up and down.

"Nice pajamas, Henry." She said, laughing. I looked down at what I was wearing, and realized with a shock of embarrassment that I was both barefoot and only wearing boxers and a t-shirt.

"It was planned," I said, feigning smugness. She rolled her eyes.

"Why exactly were we called here?" Josh asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I'll explain that as soon as…ah, here they are." The Commander replied as Adriana's parents, her aunt, uncle and Ally came into the room. Alex and Max were helping Lucille as she waddled along, round with the child that would be due in a month. I could hear her cursing in German under her breath, causing a faint smile to form on my lips. Even after being pregnant and woken up in the middle of the night, Lucille Prevot still took things in stride.

"Hello, Commander Taylor," Lucille greeted the Commander, waving with one hand.

"Hello, Dr. Prevot. Please, take my chair, I insist." The Commander wheeled his chair to Adriana's mother and held it for her as she leaned into it gratefully. He wheeled her over to the desk, motioned for everyone to come closer and slipped to the other side of the desk so we could gather around closely.

"What've you got for us, Commander?" Alex asked as we crowded around the large computer screen. The Commander reached around to the screen and tapped at a couple icons, bringing up a paused video before walking around to the opposite side of the desk so he could see us all.

"What you're about to see was sent to me less than hour ago. I'm sorry if this upsets any of you, but it was agreed that you all would need to see this, since you're the ones Adriana is closest to." He reached over the monitor and tapped the screen, starting the video. An older woman with fine, light-colored hair sat at a desk.

"Is it going?" A voice in the background asked.

"I think so. Take my spot." The woman replied, getting out of the chair. A young woman slid into her seat. She had a very thin, pale face and high cheekbones. Her blonde hair was wavy and was so long it went out of frame. Wearing a button-down shirt and no makeup, she seemed much older than she really was.

"_Hey guys, it's Adriana. I'm here at outpost two with Dr. Margret St. Marin. It's about eight at night, and this is my second night here with Margret. I was supposed to record this video earlier today, but both Margret and I forgot about it until just a while ago. I'm alive and well, and I'm feeling better by the hour. I'm sure Maddy filled everyone in on what went down. Yes, I know Maddy's safe. _

"_This video is directed to a very specific group to people, to you guys who are most important in my life. Mom, Dad- know that I'm okay and that I'm getting plenty of rest and food. I know your due date is coming up, Mom, so you've got to stay off your feet. Jacob, you're still a mean brother, but I can't wait to see you so we can argue over stupid stuff again. Ally, Jenna, May- you three are my soul sisters and I'm glad that we've been able to come together and all be friends. Maddy, thank you for sticking by my side throughout our entire ordeal. You kept me from really going off the deep end. I'm still close to the edge of insanity, but you kept me as sane as possible. Max, Heather- you guys are too wonderful for words, and I'm glad that you two found each other. I can't wait to see your baby, whenever that day comes. Josh, thank you for being a good friend to Jacob and a great sister to Maddy._

"_And most importantly, Henry. Face it, you guys; Henry's the one I've missed the most. Henry, those few brief letters we managed to get back and forth between home and the Badlands helped so much. Knowing that everyone still cared to search for us, and that you put so much effort into saving Maddy and I, means the world. I might only be sixteen, and this'll sound super cliché, but you're the light of life, the lover of my soul. You are so special to me. You have no idea how important you are to me. Your love keeps me going when all else fails. 'I love you' doesn't suffice for how I feel about you. Thank you for everything._

"_I want you all to know that I really am okay. I weighed in yesterday after getting here and found out I only weighed a hundred and seventeen pounds. I've gained back four or five since then, but I've still got a long way to go. I hope this won't be the first time any of you heard this, but very early on in my imprisonment, I was harassed and raped multiple times by a guy whose name I won't say right now. I'll say this, though: he's a traitor to Terra Nova. I'm fine now, but in all honesty, I don't know that I'll really ever again be comfortable around guys I don't know. For now, at least, I feel nervous about being near strangers. I hope I'll be back to normal some day, but I'm not sure. Right now, there's not much I'm sure of. One thing I do know, though, is that I'll be okay. It will be alright. I'll return when the time is right, and when I'm healthy. Know that I love you all so much. This is Adriana, signing off. Goodnight."_

Stunned silence.

I could feel hot, wet tears on my face, and the sniffles around me told me I wasn't alone in crying. Ally had her arms wrapped around herself as tears dripped down onto her shirt. I put my arm around her and gave her a reassuring hug. Adriana was the closest thing to a sister Ally had ever had, and likely was a mother figure, as well. Lucille, of course, was the adult in their household, but Adriana and Jacob were her kids, not Ally. Ally's mother died when Ally was a baby, and her father left for Terra Nova when she was still young. Despite always having someone there for her, whether it was her cousins or grandparents, she'd never had the experience of an actual family, and it was clear that Adriana was the person Ally cared for the most.

"It'll be okay," I murmured to her. "Don't be sad, Ally. She's okay."

"I'm not sad, Henry, I'm just glad she's alive and okay." Ally replied quietly. I didn't respond but instead gave her shoulder another squeeze.

"Margret St. Marin is a solo researcher who maintains permanent residence at outpost two about twenty miles to the southeast of the colony." The Commander explained. "Adriana's in more than capable hands with Dr. St. Marin. She was a psychiatrist years ago before taking up studies in botany. She's a little eccentric, but she's quick-witted and very intelligent. Many of our most important biological discoveries have come from her laboratory."

"How long will she be there? Can she come home soon?" I asked. The Commander shook his head.

"Dr. St. Marin wants to keep her until she's stable enough to return. She lost a lot of weight, and from the message I received, it sounds like there's a lot of psychological issues that need to be addressed before Adriana can reenter the colony." At his words, my heart fell.

"I'm due in a few weeks, sir, and I think Adriana needs to be here when her sibling is born." Lucille spoke up from her place in the chair.

"It all depends on how Adriana recovers. With all due respect, Dr. Prevot, know I'm not letting her return until Dr. St. Marin believes she's ready to." The Commander responded grimly.

"Why did I come back, then?" Maddy asked, a cold edge to her voice. "I lived through the same ordeal she did, and I didn't have to stay away from the colony."

"You were brought directly to the colony because you and Henry were picked up by a patrol. If you'd been with Adriana instead of Henry, you'd probably be out there at outpost two with her." The Commander replied. Maddy didn't say anything, but nodded in response.

"Can we go see her?" I asked, clinging to a small shred of hope that I would see Adriana soon.

"No. Once again, doctor's orders. Besides, she's been gone three months. You guys can wait another few weeks." The Commander responded, smiling. "I've taken up enough of your time. Go home and sleep. You can rest easy now, knowing Adriana will be fine."

Knowing Adriana was safe, I slept peacefully for the first time in months.

* * *

><p>Adriana<p>

"I received a reply from the colony." Margret said, sticking her head inside my room. I was lying in bed, reading a book on the botanist's Plex. I sat up in response.

"Really? What did they say?" I asked. Margret shrugged.

"Nothing specific. Taylor said your family is very relieved that you're safe. Both your mother and aunt are due in a few weeks to give birth." She explained. My shoulders sagged at the mention of my pregnant family.

"I won't be there for either birth." The words fell from my lips like a weight were attached; knowing I'd miss out on the birth of my cousin and sibling was disheartening.

"Most likely, no. It's a shame, but you've got to be better before returning." Margret replied, sitting on the bed next to me. She placed her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure your family is just as disappointed you won't be there."

"What about the others? My friends?" I asked, looking up to meet Margret's pale eyes.

"All your girlfriends miss hanging out with you."

"I miss them the most. They're the sisters I never had." I told her, smiling weakly.

"What about a young man by the name of Henry? The Commander said he hasn't been the same without you around." Margret asked, prodding my side. I looked at the floor. When an undeniable grin snuck onto my face, Margret smirked. "He's your boyfriend, isn't he?"

I looked at her and nodded, smiling with mild embarrassment.

"He's very special to me." I told her. Margret scoffed.

"Oh, puh-_leeze_. You're practically the color of an apple, dear. Spill it." She demanded. My heart fluttering, I launched into a lengthy description of Henry, and from his eyes to his humor, I told Margret everything I loved about him. I told her the story of how we met, and how close we were when we'd only been friends. She sat and listened as I described every little detail of our relationship that I was willing to share. She didn't pry, and when I clearly didn't want to talk about something, she let it rest. I didn't feel comfortable telling Margret about the _extremely_ steamy make out sessions we'd had. It was something personal and intimate I wanted to keep only between Henry and myself.

* * *

><p>Henry<p>

As the weeks passed by, we received near-daily updates on Adriana's progress. Never photos or videos, just short tidbits of information from Dr. St. Marin. She gained back twenty pounds in the first week alone, and was on an exercise routine to help regain lost muscle mass. Maddy, who'd gone through much of the same as Adriana, was going through a similar process to gain back muscle lost from months of sitting in a cold, dark cell.

My poor father, who'd officially been discharged from Taylor's service, was left with the worst outcome of the whole situation. A three-inch section of his inner thigh was gone, and it was difficult for him to walk. The doctors were confident that with physical therapy, he would be able to build up enough muscle to compensate for what had been obliterated by the gunshot. He sat at home and read books or wrote, for the most part. I often found him sitting on the porch swing as I walked home after school, and sometimes I sat with him and talked. Knowing I saved his life melted away every underlying issue we'd ever had, and it was refreshing to see that he truly was proud of who I'd become.

For the first time in ages, I could smile and truly mean it. I was at peace knowing everyone I cared about was safe and accounted for. The situation wasn't ideal, but it was substantially better than what could've happened. What all had happened over the past year was worth it for the clarity I felt. I'd had my highest highs, and my lowest lows in the past year, and I'd come to understand that I was a better person because of it. The people I surrounded myself with were better, and they influenced me in ways I hadn't realized. I smiled more, I laughed more, I was kinder. I wanted to be inclusive, and I had no desire to make genuinely cruel remarks about other people. I was still sarcastic and quick-witted, but I enjoyed being able to step back and sit quietly by myself. The peace of being alone was profound, and I found that I thought clearer and more logically. I was a better person, and I knew why.

It was Adriana. Had she not come to Terra Nova, I wasn't sure who I'd be. Cruel and uncaring, still a womanizer. Always chasing after May in the hope that she'd someday want to be with me, not knowing she had a boyfriend in the future. Because of Adriana, I'd come to appreciate that life wasn't a popularity contest, or journey toward perfection. It was about learning and changing while discovering what was most important. It was about appreciating the small things in each day, and knowing that at any second, you could lose that which was most important to you. Adriana embraced the good and bad with a positive attitude that was impossible _not_ to notice. I learned intelligence and beauty at the same time was both possible and real. Most importantly, I learned to just be _happy_. I learned that life was a mystery that had to be taken a little at a time, and that the only way to take it was with people you love and a smile on your face.

* * *

><p>Adriana<p>

"How long have I been here, Margret?" I asked one morning during breakfast. Margret sipped her coffee before answering.

"About five weeks." Her reply was short and simple.

"When can I leave?" I blurted out. I slapped a hand over my mouth in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm just-"

"You're just anxious to get home to your friends and family." She cut in, smiling over her glasses. "Don't apologize; I understand your desire to be with your loved ones."

"I just want my old life back, Margret. You know that." I told her.

"You'll never go back to your old life, Adriana. After what you've gone through, I doubt your life will be the same. Perhaps, what you mean is that you want to go back to your old friends and family." She suggested. I smiled and nodded.

"Exactly. You never answered my question, though. When can I go home?" I asked. Margret shrugged, cutting a piece of fruit with the side of her fork.

"I'm not sure of a specific date, if that's what you mean. You've progressed much quicker than any patient I've had, so I suspect you'll be able to go home in a week or two." She responded nonchalantly. My heart fluttered in my chest at her words.

"How will we get back?"

"I have a rover, but the battery's been dead for months. I get supplies once a month, but in the excitement of new food and tools, I always forget to request a new one. You'll be going back with the supply rover at the end of the month." She explained.

"Don't they have solar panels for recharging the batteries?"

"Yes, but they're in short supply, and the crazy old researcher whose made some of our most important biological discoveries apparently isn't high enough on the list of importance to receive one." Margret answered, a hint of bitterness fringing her words.

"That's a load of crap! Why would they have so few?"

"They've got countless numbers of solar panels, but the vast majority of them are in use on houses and businesses. Those that aren't being used by homes and businesses go toward powering the Eye and the Commander's rovers." Margret said, sipping her coffee. Suddenly, something clicked in my brain.

"Wait a second…_I'm_ going back with the supply rover. What about you, Margret? Don't you want to come back to the colony?" I asked. She shook her head.

"No, not particularly. I've always been more of a lone wolf." She explained.

"Were you once part of a pack, then, and got kicked out?" I guessed, continuing with the wolf metaphor. Margret smiled and shook her head.

"I never really had a pack. More or less, I meant that I've always been content to be on my own. I'd rather be independent and not have to rely on other people." She told me.

"I've always enjoyed being around others, but nobody seemed to enjoy being around me." I explained. "Throughout my childhood, I was basically a social outcast. Nobody like me, and it was mainly due to my appearance."

"Your appearance?"

"Let's just say that I was a little chubby." I told her, smiling. She laughed.

"You've had a hard life, haven't you?" she asked, her eyes searing into me. I shook my head and shrugged.

"Honestly, no. When I was younger, I never really talked about my problems, mainly because I didn't want the kids at school to get in trouble and then isolate me even more. The people at school sucked, but I had the best support system ever. My family's really close, and we've always been there for each other. Through my brother, my mom knew that school wasn't been easy for me, but she trusted that I could handle my problems."

"Could you handle your problems?" Margret asked, her interest piqued. I nodded.

"I found solace in reading and writing. Books were my safe haven; they were what I went to after school. I could learn the story of someone, and seeing how they solved their own issues was comforting. I knew it was all fiction, but it helped me see that there was hope. I bridged the worlds of fiction and reality and applied what I'd learned about problem solving in fiction to my own problems in the real world."

"And writing? How did writing help?" Margret implored.

"When I was older, I started to write-"

"Did you write original pieces, or was it more journaling?" Margret interrupted.

"Mostly original stuff. I stayed away from poetry, and found myself gravitating toward historical fiction and fan fiction."

"Why those genres?"

"It's an incredible feeling to be able to tell the story of a character whose would've otherwise never been heard, or explore an aspect of the life of a famous historical figure. I could take a background character from a book or movie who never received any major exposition and create their past and persona." I explained.

"Where did your inspiration come from? Would you see an interesting-looking person in a movie and wonder who they were?"

"Pretty much. The cashier in a grocery store might be mentioned for a line in a book, and that'll be enough to get me writing sometimes. I wonder what their life is like, and what hardships they've gone through. I often find myself imagining them as being at a bad place in their life so that I can make it better for them. Sometimes it's simply through an extra tip from a customer or a compliment in a book store, and other times it's something bigger, like finding a lost pet or getting a dream job, that makes them have a big revelation about how lucky they are, or that things aren't as bad as they thought. I try to make their existence a better one." I replied. Margret sat back and crossed her arms.

"You're funny, you know that?" she said, smiling.

"Why's that?"

"It's my job to figure out everything that goes on in a person's head, and up until now I thought I had you figured out. I thought you were a creative, strong-minded girl with a thick skin for criticism, but from what you've just told me, I see so much more of who you are. You have a desire to make things better. You want the best for everyone, and you don't want anyone to feel belittled or diminished." She explained, smiling. I was astounded that she'd sifted that out of a statement about why I chose to write about certain things.

"You really are good at this, aren't you?" I asked. She nodded and smiled.

"I worked as a psychiatrist for fifteen years before turning to botany, and even then, I still worked with clients through in-home sessions."

"So, you've dealt with plenty of crazy people, then?" I inquired. She nodded.

"You wouldn't believe the things I've heard people say."

"On a scale of zero to ten, where would I rank? Like, how insane was I when I first got here?" Margret was quiet for a minute or two as she thought.

"Maybe a five or six, at worst. You really did have most of your mental capabilities intact. What I've deduced is that most of your issues stemmed from stress rather than an actual insanity. To put it into metaphorical terms, you had a few bolts that were beginning to unscrew, but it would still take awhile before they'd fall out." She explained.

"Would a zero be considered normal, then?" I asked.

"A one would be the most preferable, but a zero isn't _bad_. Humans should have a little insanity, or else our species would be doomed to an unbreakable stalemate at the hands of a fearful race of people unwilling to take chances on crazy things." She clarified.

"What number am I now?" I asked, leaning forward in my chair. Margret smiled.

"This scale isn't an accurate measure of insanity."

"And…?"

"Your progress has be significantly quicker than any other patient I've had." Margret answered coolly.

"What does that mean?" If my endless stream of questions bothered her, Margret didn't show it. The woman chuckled.

"It means you'll be home soon enough."

**What's your opinion of Margret? I haven't gotten much feedback about her, and I would love to know what you think! I know it's driving you all crazy to see Adriana and Henry unite, and I promise, you won't have to wait much longer!**


	38. Chapter 38

**Woo! Update time! This is what you've been waiting months for, and I'm SUPER stoked to finally release it for you guys! **

Chapter Thirty-Eight

It was two more weeks before I went home. When June first, the day the supply rover rumbled to outpost two, I was an exuberant bundle of nerves. I had no possessions other than the clothes on my back, and it was all I could do to help carry in crates of food and scientific supplies. The soldier who drove the rover was an unfamiliar man, and I could feel anxiety beginning to well up in my chest at the thought of being alone with him during the ride back to the colony. When everything was organized into its place, the soldier went to the rover while I said goodbye to Margret, who was inside looking over all her new things.

"Margret," I called down the hall as I walked.

"Yes?" she asked when I came into the main room.

"I wanted to come say bye before I left." I told her. She smiled and waved me forward. When I approached, she took my hands in hers.

"Thank you for showing up, Adriana." She said. I laughed nervously, unsure of what to make of her words.

"You're welcome. Thank you for…rehabilitating me." I replied. She laughed and pulled me into a brief hug.

"You'll do fabulous, dear. I won't be there to talk to you, so be ready to deal with any stressors on your own, okay?" Margret said when she released me from the hug. I smiled briefly and nodded.

"I think it'll be okay."

"Promise you'll talk to people if you have issues?"

"I promise I'll talk." I told her, smiling.

"Use your best judgment, okay?" she asked.

"I will." I promised her.

"If you ever need me, just send a message. I'll be here." She told me. My smile faltered.

"You're sure you don't want to come back?" I asked. She nodded.

"I'm very happy here, Adriana. This is my dream to work out here in the jungle." She explained.

"Don't you want to talk to other scientists? Don't you want to be part of a community?" I asked, searching her face for a sign she'd be swayed by my pleading.

"Don't worry about me, Adriana."

"What about Shadow? Don't you think she should be around other animals?" I said, my voice pitching up an octave.

"Shadow's done fine without other animals. Don't worry about us; worry about yourself. We're not going anywhere, Adriana, I promise. We'll be fine." Margret responded, glancing at the small black cat who slept atop the circle desk. I followed her gaze and approached Shadow. Carefully, I pulled the drowsy cat into my arms and stroked her fur with my fingers. She purred as I stroked her, hot tears forming in my eyes.

"This is it, Shadow. Watch out for danger, girl." I whispered to her. I sat her back down on the desk and watched as she curled herself into a ball before going back to Margret.

"Why are you crying, dear?" Margret asked, putting arms around me.

"I feel like I'll never see either of you again." I said quietly, attempting to contain my tears.

"Don't worry, dear. I doubt this'll be the last time we meet." She said, a glint of something flashing through her eyes. "Go on out to the rover."

"Thank you for everything." I said, wiping the last of the tears from my eye. Without another word, I turned and left behind Margret and Shadow, not knowing if or when I'd ever see them again.

* * *

><p>Henry<p>

"Henry," my mother's voice came from the open door to my room. She leaned her shoulder against the frame and smiled at me. "I just got word from Commander Taylor."

"That…?" I trailed.

"Adriana just left outpost two with the supply rover." She replied, smiling slightly. I jumped up punched the air in excitement.

"Yes! Finally! Oh my god, I'll-"

"But," she said sharply, freezing me in place.

"What?"

"Her mother went into labor early this morning and is expected to deliver soon." Her words made my blood run cold.

"Will she be back in time?" I asked. She shrugged.

"Depends on how long it takes to get here. They've got twenty miles of roads to cover."

"Why didn't anyone tell me Lucille went into labor?" My mother snorted at the question.

"Jesus, Henry, what makes you think you're so important you need to know when a woman goes into labor?" she replied, shaking her head. My cheeks heated up at her words, and from the smirk on her face, my mother knew she'd embarrassed me.

"But-"

"Just _chill out_, Henry; you can see them later. Wash your hands and come help me make lunch." she interrupted, walking away from my room. Fuming that my own mother had just slapped me with sound logic, I did as I was told.

* * *

><p>Adriana<p>

The ride home was torturously silent. The soldier hadn't spoken in half an hour. I was beginning to get paranoid until he finally said something.

"We've got Mira, you know." He said, glancing my way for a moment.

"Do we?" I asked, not looking his way.

"Yep. Maddy Shannon carried her body from somewhere between the Badlands and the falls until we picked up her and Henry Rost and his father. Henry clubbed Mira with a gun to knock her out." I winced as he spoke of Henry doing such a violent thing. It was chilling to hear confirmation that Henry wasn't the harmless young man I'd always perceived him to be. I wasn't stupid; I knew that everyone was capable of violence, but after never knowing Henry to do violent things and then hearing of what he'd done peeled away the thin façade of nonviolence I'd surrounded my idea of Henry with.

_He's not the same person I knew. Or maybe he is, but he was just doing what he thought had to be done. It was to a woman, too. Mira might not be a good person, but she's still a woman. Does that mean Henry won't be as sensitive to hitting other women? Would he hit me if we got into an argument? He knows what Tyler did, and he's Tyler's brother. Tyler controlled me because I feared being beat or raped again. He used rape to control me. He used fear. Would Henry think that what Tyler did stemmed from anger, and that it'd be okay to do if _he_ got angry at me? That he could control me through fear? Would he do that to me? Would Henry rape me?_

I was broken from my quickly darkening train of thought as my brain registered that the soldier was talking.

"Hey, you heard me?" he asked, snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"What? Sorry, I was…thinking."

"I said I'm trying to get you back to the colony quick so you can be there for your mom when she gives birth."

"Wait, _what_? She's in labor?!" I said, my head snapping to the soldier.

"Yeah, since this morning. That's why I was out at the outpost early. Normally we don't go out there 'til the afternoon on supply days."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" I asked. The soldier shrugged.

"Didn't think of it 'til now."

"How much farther until we're back?" I inquired, searching out the windows for any sign of civilization.

"Four or five miles, maybe."

"Hurry up, then! Drive faster!" I urged him. The rover sped up, and I was pleased to see we were flying down the road at forty miles per hour. The rover jolted and jostled us around, but the cut in time was well worth it.

"This isn't very safe…" he trailed off, but kept up the speed.

"Yeah, and neither are carnivorous dinosaurs, but that didn't stop us from building Terra Nova. I've got a pregnant mom to be with, so you better get us there _soon_."

* * *

><p>We were silent the rest of the way until the trees ahead began to filter in light from the clearing. My heart was thumping so loud I was positive the soldier could hear it.<p>

"You can stand on the door frame, if you want." He said, slowing to a halt. I opened the door to the rover and put my right foot on the step just under the door before standing up. I kept my other foot in the leg space of the passenger seat. Gripping the half open door in one hand and a handhold on the ceiling of the rover's interior, I watched as the clearing came closer and closer until it was _there_.

The clearing, monstrous in size, was full of unfiltered sunlight. A sea of tall, golden grass rippled with the wind. Waves of heat shimmered in the distance. The spike-lined fence, menacing on the outside yet comforting and safe on the inside, beckoned us forward. The gate was down, sealed shut from the creatures of the outside world. Brown swathes of hard-packed dirt fanned out from the gate; roads leading to and from the colony. Our vehicle was the only one in the clearing. I could hear the rover's engine growling as the soldier sped across the vast open space.

"Go straight to wherever my mom is. Don't stop for anyone." I instructed shouted to the soldier.

If he replied, I didn't here it. The gate was fast-approaching and small, dark figures were beginning to appear between the waves of heat. The sun's heat warmed my side and back, and my hair rippled behind me like the grass we drove beside. The gate came faster and faster until we were within seconds of it. It rose off the ground, high enough for the rover to go under.

The rover slowed as it passed under the blue metal. I looked up and watched as we passed beneath the behemoth gate itself, time slowing for a fraction of a second as my brain registered that I truly was home. People were gathered around, watching as the rover grove by without stopping. Commander Taylor, stone-faced and grey-bearded, stood with his hands on the railing of the command center. I held up my hand in greeting, the action returned by the Commander. I turned to watch as the familiar roads passed by, a joyful smile arching across my face. I couldn't help but laugh with happiness to be home. The rover drove on for a few minutes more before pulling up to the all-too-familiar clinic. Unlike what I'd always observed, there were no medical personnel buzzing in and out of the clinic. Three bikes were leaned against the side of the building. I hopped out of the rover and looked back at the soldier.

"Thank you," I told him before slamming the door and running into the clinic. I yanked open the door and stopped dead in my tracks. A long, keening moan filled the room. The hair on my arms prickled at the sound of it. A nurse in blue scrubs slipped out of one room, and found a syringe of clear liquid. She moved to go back into the room, but stopped when she saw me.

"She's in here," the woman said, beckoning me forward. "That was just a contraction." I crossed the room in three seconds and followed the nurse through door. The room was darkened apart from a few large lamps in the corners of the room. Sitting in a wooden chair beside the bed was a blond man with short, wavy hair. He sat with his head down and his eyes closed. His left hand was being squeezed by a small woman with long dark hair. She had a huge, watermelon-sized stomach and laid on her side. Her other hand cradled her stomach.

"Do you…" she paused as pain overwhelmed her. "…have the epidural?" she clearly was speaking to the nurse who'd let me in.

"I have two for you, Lucille. The needle, or the intravenous numbing agent."

"Whichever one will make the pain go away faster!" she screeched at the nurse, who looked at me.

"You're up, then." She told me, smiling. I slowly walked toward the bed, where the patient lay moaning incoherently. The nurse mumbled about an intravenous something or other, fit the needle into the slot of a drip bag and slowly pushed down on the plunger.

"Mom? Dad?" I said softly. My father jumped in his seat. He slowly looked up, and the moment our eyes met, the room seemed to fill with electricity.

"_Oh my god_. Lucille, look who's here." His voice was tired and worn, but his eyes were bright and alert. My mother, who'd stopped moaning at the sound of my voice, slowly turned her head towards me. Fresh tears streamed down her face.

"Oh, Adriana…" she trailed off, unable to formulate adequate words. My lip trembling, I walked forward and put my arms around my mother. Her trembling hands wrapped around me and she let loose a keening wail of joy.

"Mom, I'm so glad I made it in time." I whispered, brushing tears out of my eyes.

"I'm so glad you made it, too, honey. I love you so much. I've missed you." she replied. I pulled away from her and turned to my father. I cried even harder as I hugged him; I'd been away for only a few months, and it felt like it had been years since I'd seen my parents. _Puts into perspective how bad it must've been for him, having to go without his family for over ten years._

"I love you guys so much," I said when my father had released me from our hug.

"You guys have great pain medicine," My mother said, smiling at the nurse through teary eyes. I was, apparently, a form of pain medicine. Letting out a groan of pain, she clutched at her stomach and closed her eyes.

"Are you-?" I began.

"No, just another contraction. It's not as bad as before. The _actual_ pain killer is starting to take affect." My mother explained, shaking her head.

"You're very close, Lucille." The nurse said, smiling.

"Mom, do you want me to be in the room when you, er…starting pushing?" I asked. My mother nodded, her eyes still closed.

"Go get Jacob and Max and Heather. They went outside for some air."

"Do you want them to be in the room, too?" I asked.

"If they want to, they can." My mother replied, opening her eyes. "Go now. It's not going to be much longer."

I slipped out of the room wordlessly and left the darkened clinic. Outside, the rover was gone. It was still the middle of the day, and people went about their business without noticing me. Voices drifted from behind the clinic, and my heart thumped against my ribs as I followed the sounds of talking people around the building. I stopped before turning the corner and stepped against the wall. The heart was racing, and I couldn't figure out _why_ I was so nervous to see my family. They were people I'd known for years. I edged my face around the corner and regarded the three people standing in the shade of the clinic. A tall, older man with brown hair and a tall, strawberry-blonde woman stood together speaking to a pale, skinny kid with dark hair. _Jacob. Max. Heather. _Before I could do anything, Jacob's eyes flashed in my direction. He stopped mid-sentence and stared.

"Adriana?" his voice quavered as he took a few steps toward me. Max and Heather stopped talking and stared with astonishment.

"Hey," I greeted, stepping out from around the corner. "I'm back." I added with a smile. Jacob closed the few yards between us and enveloped me in a hug. He didn't cry, but the effect was the same. The relief and joy that he felt washed over me. We stood there, hugging without crying, for a few seconds longer before I pulled away and turned to my aunt and uncle. I didn't hug them, but they each took my hands in theirs.

Heather wasn't pregnant.

Fear gripped my insides. She wasn't supposed to have had her baby yet. She should've been massively pregnant, like my mother. Had she miscarried? _Where_ was their child?

As though she'd heard my thoughts, Heather spoke first.

"The baby was born a month early, on May first. She's perfectly healthy now, and is at home with Ally." She reassured me. _Ally._

"What's her name?" I asked. Max smiled.

"Sophie Lucille Harris," he told me proudly.

"After my mom?" I asked. He nodded.

"With everything that's went on in the past few months, your mom has done well dealing with all stress put on her."

"It sounds nice, too." Heather added, smiling.

"I'm happy for you guys, but my mom sent me to bring you guys inside. It's almost time." I replied, beckoning them to follow as I turned away. My family members followed me inside and gathered in my mother's room.

"How do you feel, mom?" Jacob asked, bending down beside the bed.

"The painkiller is spreading quick. I can hardly feel any pain." She replied, smiling.

"Who's delivering the baby?" I asked, thinking of the lone nurse who'd been attending my mother.

"Since I can't exactly deliver my own child," my mother explained, "Sheila's going to be doing it. She's the only midwife in the colony."

"I assume that's the nurse's name," I said. My mother nodded.

"One of the other gals from the clinic should be here soon. She'll be assisting Sheila."

"One to deliver and the other to help," Heather murmured quietly.

"Sheila's been a nurse for twenty-something years." My mother explained, closing her eyes in concentration as another contraction came on.

"Does it hurt?" I ask. My mother rocked her hand back and forth in the air.

"It's mostly pressure." She replied. "Sheila?" She called, her voice dragging out over a couple seconds. The nurse, Sheila, came bustling into the room with a cup of water. Following behind her was a second, much younger woman dressed in the same blue scrubs.

"Hi, Lucille. How're you feeling?" the second nurse asked.

"Ready to have a baby," my mother replied, smiling.

"Drink," Sheila ordered, pushing the cup into my mother's hands. My mother downed the water and sat the empty cup on the bedside table. Satisfied, Sheila left the room. The other nurse followed her out. When the sound of sinks in another room were the only sound, my mother spoke up.

"I know it's a lot to ask of you guys, but I would love it if you'd all be in the room during delivery." She said, looking around at everyone.

"I will, of course," my father murmured, squeezing my mother's hand.

"I'll be here for you, mom." I told her quietly.

"As a mom, I will," Heather added. She glanced at Max, who looked uncomfortable.

"Lucille, you're my sister and all, but I can't…I don't think I can be in the same room during that. I'm sorry." He said to my mother, shame clouding his eyes.

"Don't be sorry, Max. It's a lot to ask of anyone." my mother replied to her brother. He nodded, not meeting her eyes.

"I'm on the same boat as Uncle Max, mom. I'm sorry." Jacob said, looking at our mother. Her smiled sympathetically.

"Thank you for being honest, Jacob." She told him. The silence that hung in the air made my skin itch.

"Is it a boy or girl?" I asked. My parents exchanged looks.

"We don't know. They never brought the technology through the portal." My father explained.

"Do they have anything for pregnancies?" I asked. My mother shook her head.

"Nothing particularly helpful in terms of technology. They were due to come with the next pilgrimage, but we all know how that worked out." My mother explained dryly.

"What're your name choices, then?" I asked, changing the subject.

"If it's a boy, he'll be Coleman Davis." My mother said, beaming at the name.

"If it's a girl, her name will be Allison Anne." My father added. The names rang well. Whatever gender my sibling was, they'd grow up with a good name. Just then, my mother's face squeezed up as another contraction began.

"They're getting really close," I murmured. As if on cue, Sheila and the other nurse entered the room in full delivery outfits: scrubs, surgical masks, elbow-length gloves and booties covering their feet.

"It's time, Lucille," Sheila said, her cheeks pressing upward in a smile.

"I agree. After giving birth twice, I can tell I'm ready." My mother replied, her breath labored.

"I think that's our cue to split." Max said, nudging Jacob. "We'll let Ally know." The two slipped out the room. Sheila adjusted the lights so the room was brighter, but the lights were still considerably dimmer than normal.

Things went quickly after that. Heather and I moved up to the head of the bed opposite of my father. I took my mother's hand, as did my father, and Heather placed her hand on her sister-in-law's shoulder. The nurses had us slip medical scrubs over our clothes, and towels were laid out below my mother, who was ready to push at any moment. The second nurse wheeled in a small, towel-lined cot for the baby to lie in.

As each contraction came, Sheila coached my mother, telling her how it was going. Heather spoke quiet words of encouragement. My father sat with his eyes glued on my mother. It wasn't until Sheila said she could see the baby's head that I began to talk to my mother. I kept my eyes on my family, not wanting to see what went on at the end of the bed. After half an hour, Sheila's encouragements became more excited. They were close. With a final push, the child was born. A long, high-pitched wail pierced the air after a few tense seconds. Everyone in the room released a sigh of relief. The baby cried for a few minutes longer, stopping long enough for Abby, the second nurse, to announce it was a boy.

A boy.

Coleman Davis Prevot.

My brother. _Little_ brother.

"June first, 3:17pm." Abby called over Coleman's shrieks. "Seven pounds, fifteen ounces." My father wobbled on shaky legs to Abby's side to cut the umbilical cord. She wrapped the baby in a blanket and brought him to my mother, placing him on her chest. My mother coddled him for a minute, but then stared straight ahead in alarm.

"I'm having another contraction." She said, her voice icy with surprise.

"It's normal to-"Sheila began.

"This isn't a lasting contraction. It's a real contraction. I need to…" she couldn't finish her sentence. Instead, she shakily passed Coleman to my father, who held the squealing child against his chest protectively. My mother pressed her chin against her chest and squeezed her eyes. Sheila watched with wordless shock as my mother pushed, her eyes growing wider with each push.

"My god," she murmured, and then turned to Abby. "Bring in a second cot, and quickly."

"Why do we need that?" I asked, looking at Sheila. She glanced my way.

"There's a second baby."

**I'm sure you were waiting for Henry to pop in! I'm sorry, that was a moment of cruelty on my part. I promise, though, it won't be much longer! I know I've been saying that for a while, but now it's true!**

**Thoughts on this chapter? Leave a review! **

**You know you want to.**


	39. Chapter 39

**HEY GUYS!** **I am crazy pumped about this update. While this is not the last chapter in the story (there's only ONE more!) I am super excited to announce that today, June 19th, I FINISHED this story! I'll more about it later, so you can read now!**

Chapter Thirty-Nine

_A second baby. Twins._

The room erupted into chaos at Sheila's announcement. My father, who'd been holding Coleman, quickly passed the minutes-old baby to me. He spun around, frantically looking for his chair, and barely managed to sit down before passing out in shock. Abby ran out of the room in search of a second cot. Heather, the only reasonably calm person, squatted down beside my mother and began to talk to her, calmly helping her focus on delivering the baby. Sheila shouted over my little brother's screams to my mother, who, thankfully, was still without pain. She was exhausted, though, and I could see that the effort of labor was beginning to wear her thin.

Clutching the baby to my chest, I left the room. I walked to the other side of the small clinic, and sank into a corner below a frosted-glass window. Coleman's screams began to subside into quiet gurgles as I held him close to my chest, whispering softly to him as I stroked his head. He stared at me through goopy, pale eyes. I wiped smudges of birth residue off his face with my finger. His eyes, like most babies', were blue, but would likely develop into eyes like those of myself and Jacob; mostly blue-green, with hints of grey. He had a full head of fine, near-invisible blonde hair. Otherwise, he looked like every other newborn baby. Small nose, tiny lips, miniscule ears. He was the epitome of a newborn human.

I was instantly entranced by my brother. This baby, this tiny human, was my little brother. I was a big sister. He was beautiful. Perfect in every way. He stared at me with dazed, confused pools of blue that melted my heart. The emotions that filled my heart and soul were indescribable; I felt such a love for the little boy in my arms that tears began to form in my eyes. I was lost in a blissful state of happiness as I watched my baby brother watch me.

It was the short, shrieking wails that broke me from my trance a few minutes later. I glanced up, knowing instantly the other baby had entered the world. I glanced worriedly at Coleman, but he remained unperturbed by the racket coming from the other room. I stood, holding him close, and approached the room. I waited for the crying and screaming to come to an end before entering the room.

A peaceful silence had settled over the room. My father sat in his chair, leaning toward my mother, who held a small bundle. Heather stood behind my father, watching the baby with a smile on her face. Sheila and Abby were busy cleaning up, flitting around silently. My father glanced up and waved me over. I came up beside my father and observed the child my mother held. Like Coleman, this one had a full held of hair, though instead of being nearly invisible, it was a rich shade of dark brown like my mother's. Closed eyes, though I assumed they were also blue.

"What is it?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb either baby.

"Allison Anne," my mother whispered. _A girl_.

"I have a sister," I replied, smiling. My father smiled and held out his hands. Somewhat reluctantly, I passed the quiet infant to my father.

"She weighs seven pounds, ten ounces, and was born at three thirty-three." My mother murmured.

"I'm surprised they're both so big." Heather said quietly. "Normally babies born in multiple births weigh less than average."

"It would explain why I was so large. I never that big with Adriana or Jacob." My mother replied

"Speaking of, where did Max and Jacob go?" my father asked. "Were they out there?" I shook my head.

"I think they went outside. Should I go look for them?" I replied.

"Please do," My father instructed, nodding. Without replying, I slipped out of the room and crossed the main clinic area. Outside, I found Jacob and Max leaning against the side of the building. When they saw me, they approached with troubled expressions on their faces.

"So? How'd it go? Is mom okay?" Jacob asked, searching my face for information.

"Mom's fine," I replied.

"What about the baby? Is it fine?" he asked, his eyebrows scrunching together in worry.

"The _babies_ are wonderful," I said, grinning.

"_What?!"_ Max hissed, his voice full of shock.

"What're you talking about, Adriana? Babies? As in, _plural_?" Jacob asked. My grin stretched even further across my face.

"It was twins. A boy and a girl." I explained. "We didn't realize it until mom kept pushing after Coleman was born."

"_Twins!_" Jacob echoed, his voice cracking.

"Twins," I affirmed.

"The number of kids in our family just doubled, Adriana." Jacob's voice was full of awe.

"Can we see them?" Max asked.

"'Course. Come with me." I turned and led them into the clinic. I held my index finger to my lips as I opened the door into my mother's room, letting Jacob and Max pass into the room before entering last. They both came around to either side of the bed, where my parents now both lay. Each held a sleeping baby.

"They're beautiful," Jacob whispered, stroking Allison's head with one finger.

"You guys did well," Max said to my parents, chuckling quietly. My mother smiled at him.

"They'll only be a month younger than Sophie…" she murmured, trailing off.

"…and only seventeen years younger than their closest sibling." I added, smiling.

"It's a shame there's such a large age gap," my mother replied.

"I'll get a chance to actually raise our kids," my father said, glancing between the twins.

"You already did, dad. You're raising us every day." Jacob told him. My father scoffed quietly.

"After missing out on over ten years of your guys' lives? Hardly." He replied.

"Better late than never," I added.

"You guys are both almost full-grown. Jacob's eighteen, and you're almost seventeen, Adriana."

"You still helped raise us." I replied, unwilling to let him believe he hadn't helped raise us.

"Dad, just accept that we're right." Jacob said, smirking, effectively ending the conversation. Our father let out a huff of defeat, but the smile he suppressed betrayed his amusement at our insistence.

"When will they come home?" Heather asked, redirecting the topic of conversation to the twins.

"In two or three days," Sheila said, coming up to the end of the bed. "I want you to have time to heal and recuperate before going home."

"I assume I won't be able to work." my mother said, smiling. Sheila smiled and shook her head.

"Just because you'll be at work doesn't mean you can work, Lucille." She said.

"I'll have plenty of company, I'm sure." My mother mused.

"I stay around tomorrow, but after that, you'll have clinic nurses attending to you." Sheila explained. My mother nodded.

"Very well. I doubt I'll need much help, being that this was my third pregnancy." She replied, her eyes flitting back and forth between Coleman and Allison. Jacob scoffed.

"You've never had twins before, though." He reasoned.

"It'll be pretty bad at home in the beginning. One will start to cry, and the other one will join in." My mother warned.

"Speaking of," I began, her words triggering a question in my head. "Where are they going sleep? Our house doesn't have the extra bedroom space for even one baby." My father smiled.

"You haven't been home, have you?" he asked. I shook my head.

"I was dropped off here as soon as I returned. Why?" I responded, glancing at each of my family member's expressions of amusement.

"Jacob, take your sister home." My father instructed. Jacob put his arm around my shoulders and guided me out of the room.

"Wait, stop! Why're we going home? Jacob!" I struggled, but couldn't get out of his grip.

"Calm down, Adriana. We're just going home. You'll see." He chuckled.

"See _what_?" I hissed as we walked down the gravel road away from the clinic.

"You'll see." Jacob repeated, refusing to elaborate.

* * *

><p>I stood before my family's house in utter shock. Jacob, a smug grin on his face, stood beside me with crossed arms. The house, originally a small, single-story abode with a front porch, had a <em>second floor<em>. It appeared to be a quarter the size of the original house, and faced the street with two large windows. Glancing around, I noticed that numerous houses had small upstairs add-ons.

"What the _hell_ happened?" I asked, glancing at Jacob.

"It was decided that people could expand their houses, if they felt so inclined to do so." Jacob explained.

"How's that going to work, with the colony being contained within the fence?" I replied. Jacob pointed toward the sky.

"Expansion is only allowed _up_. You can't make your house any wider or longer, but you can make it taller."

"As tall as you want?" I asked. Jacob shook his head.

"For now, this is the only expansion available. You can add up to one quarter the size of your original house."

"I've gotta see this…" I mumbled, trailing off as I took the house key from Jacob and let myself into the place I'd called my home for the past year.

It was, essentially, the same. A pair of shoes by the door, throw pillows on the couches. The rug that stretched down the hallway was crumpled in one corner. Some doors were closed, others were half-open. The same white light glowed over the kitchen. The only notable difference was a blue spiral staircase in front of my parents' room against the far wall side of the house. I had to hunch a little as I climbed up the steps.

The upstairs was small; the room the staircase entered into was an entrance space with no apparent purpose; it was empty apart from a short couch pushed against one wall. There was a single large window. There were two doors: one on the right wall, and one on the left. The right door led into a small, bedroom-sized space. It was decorated with baby furniture- a wooden crib, a rocking chair, but not much else. The walls were left unpainted and there was a large window on the far wall, facing the road. The left door led into a room the size of mine and Ally's, with another large window facing the road. It was empty. I assumed that this room would instead be the nursery.

"This adds a lot of room to the house," I murmured to Jacob, who stood beside me.

"Mom and Dad planned for the smaller room to be the baby's, and that they would move into the bigger room." Jacob replied.

"There'll probably be some room rearranging in the coming days," I said.

"Maybe you and Ally will get the upstairs so mom and dad can be on the same floor as the twins." Jacob suggested. I shrugged.

"That might be kind of nice. Ally would like being able to see across the colony." I replied.

"She really missed you," Jacob said, looking at me.

"I know. I've always been the one she was closest to."

"Do you want to go see her? She's at Uncle Max's house with Sophie." Jacob asked.

"Ally's a big sister!" I squealed, laughing.

"C'mon, let's get going, then!" Jacob replied, descending the stairs. I followed him to the door but stopped by my room.

"I'm only gonna be a minute. I need to put on clean clothes." I explained, shutting the door. Jacob didn't complain; there were smears of blood and residue on my shorts, and my shirt was full of dust from standing in the rover.

My room was almost exactly the same as I remembered it; Ally's stuff was strewn around the room and all my things were neatly organized. My bed was disheveled and appeared as though someone had slept in it, though I assumed it likely had been left as it was when I was kidnapped. The sudden influx of memories flooded my body with paralyzing fear. I was thankful the door was closed, or Jacob would've seen the terror wash over my face for a few moments. I sat on the end of the bed and composed myself, head in hands. I let the dread of the memory leave me before standing.

In the large, floor-to-ceiling mirror that had always been in the room, I compared my body at its current state to how it had been before everything happened. I still had wide hips and a large bust, but I could subtle differences in my limbs. I'd gained back all the weight I'd lost, but it was distributed over my whole body alongside defined muscles. My hair went all the way to my waist and curled dryly at the ends, a sign I needed a good haircut. As tempting as it was, I didn't have the time to put on any makeup.

I found a pair of jeans and a floral blouse in my dresser, reveling in the simplicity of wearing _my_ clothing. The smell of the clothing was comforting and familiar, reminding me of the care-free times when I'd dress up nicely every single day, even the weekends, because it was fun. I slipped a jacket on over the shirt, one made from the leathery skin of a dinosaur who'd been euthanized after losing a fight with a rival male, and found my favorite tennis shoes. I ran a hairbrush through my hair before joining Jacob outside.

"Where's Gracie?" I asked as we walked the short distance to our uncle's house, realizing I hadn't seen our little dog at home.

"She's with Ally. Max and Heather trust the dog, and wanted to help mom and dad out by letting Gracie be around Sophie so she's more used to babies." Jacob explained.

"What has she been up to while I gone?"

"Nothing new, really. At first, she got all freaked out 'cause she couldn't find you, but she gave up after a couple days." He replied. My heart broke into little pieces; the poor dog had lost one of her favorite people, and knowing that my absence had been bad on her, even if just for a few days, was disheartening.

"She probably won't remember me," I said quietly as we stepped onto the porch of my uncle's home, which lacked the second floor option. Jacob grunted in acknowledgement but said nothing more of the subject. He rapped lightly on the door twice before letting himself in. I followed him into the quiet house, looking for Ally.

"Hello? Ally? It's Jacob! I've got someone here to see you!" Jacob called out, glancing around the room. A door slid open and Ally stepped out, carrying a sleeping brown-haired baby. Her eyes inflated to the size of saucers when she saw me -her mouth dropping open- and I could tell she was holding back a squeal of happiness. Calmly, never taking her eyes off me, she walked to Jacob and passed the sleeping infant to him. She turned and wrapped her arms around me, tears streaming down her face. I buried my face into her shoulder as I sobbed silently. We stood there for perhaps thirty seconds before letting go.

"It's good to see you, Adriana," Ally whispered, wiping a remaining tear off her face.

"I missed you, Ally," I replied, smiling. Ally motioned to the baby in Jacob's arms.

"This is my sister, Sophie Lucille Harris." Ally said, watching the little girl lovingly. "I love her to death."

"She's beautiful." I replied, taking Sophie from Jacob. I stroked her fine, dark hair. "She's got her dad's hair."

"That's for sure." Ally said, smiling. "I think we have the same hair." She held up her long hair beside her sister for comparison.

"We've each got a sibling with the same hair." Jacob said, smiling with pride. Ally glanced between Jacob and I with confusion.

"Huh?"

"My mom gave birth just a little while ago." I explained. "But she kind of…had twins." I finished the sentence hesitantly, still in awe myself of the situation.

"_What?_" Ally asked, clearly flabbergasted at the announcement. I nodded, almost grimly.

"Nobody had a clue until my mom was pushing the second baby." I replied.

"My god. Is she okay? What're the babies' names?"

"Mom's fine," I began.

"Coleman Davis was born first, and Allison Anne was born after. They were fourteen minutes apart." Jacob added, interrupting me. I shot a sideways glance at my brother, his enthusiasm barely contained.

"Where's Gracie?" I asked, changing the subject. Ally's eyes lit up.

"She's in the backyard. Follow me!" she replied, her voice raising ever so slightly with excitement. I scurried to the back door and opened it, peeking into my aunt and uncle's backyard. It was grassy and small, with large bushes and flowers running along the perimeter. The leaves under one bush rustled as a small creature snuffled about, emitting snorts every few seconds. I let out a short, sharp whistle, and the bushes froze.

"Gracie!" I called. The bushes let out an excited yap, and then released a blur of light brown and white fur. My dog, who'd grown considerably since New Years', barreled into me at full speed. I fell to the ground as she assaulted me with licks and yaps, clambering all over my fallen figure. I laughed and tried to stop her advances, but she was simply too excited. I sat up and pulled her into my lap so I could wrap my arms around her in a hug. Ally laughed from the doorway. I turned to her and smiled, attempting to fend off Gracie.

"It's good to see she hasn't forgotten you," Ally said.

"It's like I was never gone," I replied, ruffling Gracie's ears. She was beginning to calm down, though she still couldn't stop wiggling around in excitement.

"When you were gone, she hung out around your dad a lot." Ally explained, squatting beside me to stroke Gracie.

"I didn't even think about her at all. It didn't even occur to me that she might notice I was gone." I replied quietly.

"Don't beat yourself up about it. She's fine; your absence didn't torture her." Ally consoled, patting my shoulder.

"She's just such a happy dog. I feel bad knowing that I caused her turmoil."

"Stop blaming yourself!" Ally snapped. "This isn't your fault. It's the Sixers' fault. Blame them." Her sudden outburst snapped me out of my guilt trip.

"What's done is done. All that matters is that we're all together again." I told her. Ally smiled and nodded.

"Have you seen Jenna or May yet?" She asked. I shook my head.

"Not yet. Do you know where they are?"

"Soccer, probably. It _is_ that time of year, ya know." Ally replied. She was, of course, referring to the annual tryouts for the colony's soccer team. They were held at the end of May, and my friends were probably at one of the first practices of the season.

"I need to see them." I told my cousin, standing up. Gracie barked until I picked her up. "I don't mean to be rude, but I've got to go." Ally smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"Of course. I'll probably be here until my dad and Heather get back." She replied, nodding her head to Sophie, who was still asleep in Jacob's arms.

"I'll try to stop by later. Knowing how things work around here, I may or may not be preoccupied." I added as Ally walked me to the front door. She glanced my way with a knowing look in her eyes, making it evident she'd caught the blonde-haired, brown-eyed drift of my thoughts.

"Good luck," she wished as Jacob and I left the house. We waved as she gently clicked the door shut.

"What're you going to do?" I asked my brother, looking at him.

"I'm going back to the clinic to see mom and dad and the twins." Jacob replied, stepping off the porch in the opposite direction of where I was going.

"Have fun!" I called as we went our separate ways. I couldn't understand his reply, but assumed it was along the same lines as my own words. I turned and hurried the familiar route to the soccer field, intent to reunite with my two other closest friends.

* * *

><p>As the soccer field materialized, so did two figures darting across it. Both had long hair pulled into ponytails, one sandy blonde, the other flame-colored. It wasn't until I stood just beyond the white lines surrounding the field that I caught a glimpse of their faces. Contorted with concentration, they were egging each other on with shouts and digs. I stood and watched with amusement for a few minutes, building the courage to call myself to their attention. When I felt bold enough, I let out a long, high-pitched whistle and waved my arms around.<p>

"Hey, guys! Over here!" I shouted. Both girls stopped mid-game and looked my way. May was the first to recognize me, squealing as she sprinted toward me. Jenna realized it was me a half-second later and was in stride beside May within a few seconds. I jogged toward them, expecting my friends to slow down and meet me.

No. They didn't stop, bowling me over from the sheer force of their combined speed. They collapsed on me, squealing and heaving with laughter as they hugged me and chattered incessantly. They were extremely sweaty, their faces pink from their extended workout. We were a twisted pile of crying, sweat-covered teenagers. When our overzealous reunion calmed itself enough to where I could sit up, the talking began.

"I missed you guys," I said, still catching my breath from laughing. May snorted.

"_Obviously_ you missed us, dork," she replied. I smiled at her, pointing objectively.

"Don't act like you didn't miss me, too, May." I told her.

"It's her way of showing love," Jenna said, smirking when May shoved her playfully.

"If that's showing love, then whaddaya call sucking faces with my brother?" I asked rhetorically, poking May in the ribs. May laughed.

"Oh, please! That, my friend, is what I call _l'amour_." She replied, wagging her eyebrows. "You know about that, Adriana, huh?"

"Speaking of," Jenna began, glancing my way. "Have you talked to Henry yet?" I shook my head in response.

"Not yet. I've only been back for a few hours. I've been at the clinic most of that time."

"Did your mom have the baby?" May asked. "I heard she went into labor."

"So, the funny thing is…" I replied, glancing between my two friends. "It turned out to be twins."

"_What?!"_ May spluttered.

"_Are you kidding me?!"_ Jenna squealed, her voice pitching. Both my friends sat dumbstruck, their mouths hanging open. I nodded.

"Turned out to be a boy and a girl, born fourteen minutes apart."

"That must've been a bit of a shock," May replied.

"It was surreal. I kinda fell in love for the second time. They're so perfect." I told them.

"So I _was_ right!" Jenna said, snapping her finger.

"About what?" I asked.

"You fell in love _for the second time_?" She replied. "We all know who you first fell in love with, and I called it! All those months ago before you and Henry were even together, I _told_ you it was love and you didn't believe me!" I smiled and shook my head in amusement. May leaned back on her hands and giggled.

"You were right, Jenna, and even though I didn't know it, I really was in love." I told her.

"After, like, two months of _knowing_ each other?" May asked. I shrugged.

"Sometimes it doesn't take long to realize you've got _the one_." Jenna said before I could reply. May bolted upright and looked at me.

"You think he's _the one_?!" she squealed. "As in, the one you want to marry?!"

"Chill out! I never said that!" I replied, pushing my friend away with a playful shove. "Besides, we're only juniors in high school! Who actually thinks about marriage at sixteen?"

"Pregnant sixteen-year-olds," Jenna said quietly. May glanced from Jenna to me.

"Oh my _god_, Adriana. Are you _pregnant_?!" she asked, her voice dipping in volume. I collapsed back in the grass with exasperation.

"No! Jesus, May, I'm not pregnant! I'm not getting married! I'm not even _eighteen!_" I told her, sitting up as I shot a scathing glance at Jenna, who smiled unabashed at the trouble she'd stirred.

"Sorry," Jenna apologized, though her smile suggested otherwise.

"You better watch it, or people might start hearing that _you're_ pregnant!" I warned, shaking my fist at her.

"_Puh-leeze_, like people are gonna believe a seventeen-year-old lesbian girl got pregnant." Jenna responded, rolling her eyes in pseudo-annoyance.

"It's happened before," May replied, referencing when Jenna's ex-girlfriend had been found cheating on her with a man.

"Ugh," Jenna shuddered, obviously reliving the memory.

"I don't know what I'd do if I found Henry cheating on me." I said.

"Or Jacob," May added.

"I don't wish it on either of you, though I doubt either of you would ever have a problem with infidelity." Jenna replied to both of us.

"Henry would never do that, would he?" May asked, looking at me. I shook my head.

"I don't think he'd ever even consider it. He's not that kind of guy." I told her.

"Cliché as it may be, it's probably true." Jenna said.

"He's missed you too much to even have the opportunity to do that." May told me.

"I missed him a lot. It was hard." I reflected, my eyes flicking down as I thought of all the darkness I'd endured.

"Are you going find him today?" Jenna asked. I shrugged.

"With the twins and stuff, I just don't think I'll have the time today."

"When, then?" May asked.

"It's hard to say. I want to be with him again, but my parents will need me, at least for the first couple weeks."

"_Weeks?"_ Jenna echoed, eyebrows raised. I nodded.

"Weeks," I said again. "Maybe there'll be time sooner than that, but I have to help my family."

"That's crazy," May murmured.

"Ya know what's crazier?" I asked.

"What?"

"I have _two_ little siblings, and they're both almost _seventeen_ years younger than I am." I replied, changing the subject. I didn't want to talk about Henry, didn't want to show how much I was dying on the inside to be with him again.

**ONE...MORE...CHAPTER**

**It's almost over! I will be posting the final chapter early next week, just for the sake of keeping the chapter spaced out enough. I hope you enjoyed this chapter; there's only ONE left! **

**In celebration of the story's completion, why not review this chapter? **

**Ya know ya want to!**


	40. Chapter 40

**Well, this is it. It's the final chapter. Enjoy.**

Chapter Forty

During the following three weeks, the world I lived in was busy and hectic, and I had almost no free time. The most shocking of news was announced when the twins were a week old: Mira, the captured leader of the Sixers, committed suicide. She was found with a massive, jagged hole through her neck and a long, sharp strip of metal she'd peeled off a banister in her hands. Blood everywhere. Theories ranged from a staged suicide to ideas that she was in love with Taylor and didn't want to die at his hand. A violent death for a violent woman.

Life at home was insane. Jacob and I were the third and fourth parents to the twins, often getting up in the middle of the night to let our parents rest while the babies were attended to. Ally spent much of her time helping Heather and Max with Sophie, and was therefore excused from most baby duties with the twins. Her and I moved into the upstairs bedroom as Jacob had predicted, making it easier for my parents to have access to the babies.

School got out for the summer, though I never returned to finish the year, and the streets of the colony were always peppered with students looking for something to do. Summer was slow to start each day, though waves of heat glittered in the air by late afternoon when temperatures often soared into the high eighties.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't May or Ally who finally pushed me to reuniting with Henry, but Jacob. It was on a warm morning near the end of June, on our mandatory weekly day off from baby duty. We were eating breakfast at one of the small cafés that dotted the colony. It was cheery and full of fresh flowers, bustling with business. From our small corner table near the large windows, we could observe the going-ons around us without being noticed.

"Adriana, you _do_ realize you've been home for three weeks, and you've yet to talk to Henry, right?" Jacob asked, cutting up the last of his grilled fish into a bite-sized portion. I tried in vain to not roll my eyes. My brother regarded me with a slightly confused expression to his face. "What?"

"Why is _everyone_ getting on my case about Henry?" I asked in response, exasperation filling my voice. It was my brother's turn to roll his eyes.

"Uh, hello? It's been almost a month since you returned and you haven't even made the slightest effort at finding him."

"I've been busy."

"With what? Mom and dad don't _need _your help with Coleman and Allison every single second. They've raised two kids already; they know what they're doing, and you know they don't _need_ help." Jacob snapped.

"Not two kids _at once_." I growled. Jacob sat back in his chair and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I don't understand why you're so hesitant to see Henry again. He's the only person you haven't yet talked to, and from the way you made it sound during that video Dr. St. Marin sent us, Henry sure was the person you cared about the most." My brother's words cut deep. "You do your makeup and hair and dress up all nice like you did before everything happened, and you act like nothing's wrong with your life, like nothing changed, yet you ignore the one person you care about the most."

"Why do you care so much about what I do?" I asked, my voice shaking. My brother's terse expression softened considerably as he realized he'd hit a nerve.

"Because _I_ care about you, Adriana. You're my little sister, and it's my job to watch out for you and make sure things are good for you. I know you act all tough on the outside, and you don't like showing weakness, but I know you too well to fall for this façade you're putting on." He told me softly.

"What façade?"

"I see it right now. You're scared. I see it in your eyes all the time. I see it right now. You're scared things'll be different, and you don't want them to." Tears shimmered in my eyes as he spoke.

"Since when did you become such a mind reader?" I asked, laughing with embarrassment as I wiped tears out of my eyes.

"It's a big brother thing," Jacob replied, smiling. "I'm sorry if I was a little abrupt, but it's been bugging me for a while now."

"I guess you're right; I probably should find Henry. Do you have any idea where he might be?"

"His house would probably be a good place to start. If he's not there, then his family could probably point you in the right direction." Jacob suggested as a waitress dropped off the bill. Jacob took his wallet out of the pocket of his jacket and opened it. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"Do you have money to cover breakfast? I'm broke." My brother replied, smiling sheepishly. I rolled my eyes and found my own wallet.

"You're lucky I decided to carry my wallet today." I warned. "Or you'd have to make a _very _sincere apology to the owner." I dropped the necessary coins on the table beside the bill.

"Thanks. I'll pay you back when I have the money, I promise." Jacob apologized. I smiled and stood up, pushing my chair in behind me.

"I'm holding you to it." I called, walking toward the door. "And thank you for being so abrupt!" I added, pushing the door to the café open. I left and hurried away in the direction of Henry's house, my heart thumping like crazy.

* * *

><p>Henry's house, one I'd become accustomed to visiting, loomed ahead. It was still a single-story and while it wasn't any larger than the other houses in the colony, the idea that Henry Rost, the one person I cared about the most, was possibly inside it scared the living daylight out of me. I stepped onto the wide, covered porch with caution, wincing as a floorboard creaked under my foot. I stood at the door and took a few long, deep breaths before grasping the metal knocker on the door. I rapped it twice on the door, hard, and then stood in silence. After a few moments, I heard heavy footsteps approaching from inside the house. The doorknob turned, and to my utter horror, there before me stood none other than Tyler Rost.<p>

He regarded me with a look of surprise that quickly morphed into a devilish grin.

"_Well, well, well_, _look who showed up_." He purred, taking a step forward. Utterly disgusted, I refused to look at him. Instead, I focused on the wall inside the house.

"Is Henry home?" I asked calmly, as though I hadn't picked up on the sensual tone of his voice. He chuckled.

"_Henry_ is not home. I am, though, if that makes it better." He replied, his eyes flitting up and down my body. My skin twitched with revulsion.

"You stupid idiot! I'm home! Who is it?" a second voice shouted from inside. _Henry!_ I heart fluttered. Tyler winced at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Nobody important," Tyler muttered, turning inside to talk to a set of approaching footsteps. A hand appeared against the doorframe, and was then followed by an entire body. The eyes that went with the voice met my eyes.

_HENRY!_

He was taller -an inch, maybe two- than I remembered. Tanner skin, a little thinner. It was his eyes that were the most changed. Still the same beautiful chocolate brown I'd fallen in love with, but deeper. More expressive. He'd changed, but it wasn't as I feared he would; he was _better_. Light filled his eyes. Joy. Pure joy.

His face cracked into a wide, toothy grin, and without any notice, he shoved past Tyler, grabbed me by the waist and spun me around in the air a few times. We both laughed with glee, and when he let go, I held his face in my hands and kissed him as I never had before. There was a new passion, a new fire, that exploded between us, and it was all I could do to drag my lips away from his after what seemed like hours, but was mere seconds. We stood staring at each other, smiling like fools, without words, and then he pulled me into a warm hug. I embraced him, taking in the heavenly smell of chocolate and fruit and cologne. Tears fell on the fabric of his t-shirt as I cried with happiness and relief.

For the briefest instant, I opened my eyes, only to meet Tyler's as he stood in the doorway watching us with a bemused expression on his face. He smirked at me and made an obscene gesture toward his genitals. My hand, resting on Henry's back, formed itself into a fist with my middle finger skyward. I closed my eyes again and let Henry's presence fill me again with joy. When we finally turned apart from the hug, Henry put his arm around me and led me away from his house.

"Let's get away from here. Somewhere more private." Henry told me quietly. Not quietly enough, though.

"Good luck with that, little brother! If you're gonna screw her, I already beat ya to it!" Tyler taunted. Henry froze. He looked at me, rage boiling onto his face. It was the moment I'd been waiting for- the moment Tyler would pay for what he'd done.

"Do it," I murmured, expecting him to get into an old-fashioned, brother-on-brother fistfight with Tyler. He squeezed my hand and turned, walking straight toward his brother. I turned and watched, dread filling me.

"Whaddaya gonna do, little br-" Tyler began when Henry was only feet away. His voice was cut off as Henry roared with fury and smashed his fist squarely into Tyler's nose, his knuckles colliding squarely in the middle of Tyler's face. There was a disturbingly audible crack as Tyler's nose collapsed in on itself, sending him backward to the floor. Letting loose another furious scream, Henry landed four hard, savage kicks to Tyler's ribs. More cracks. The silence that filled the air was chilling as Henry stood there, glaring down at his brother, his chest heaving with exertion. Tyler didn't move. It was over in barely ten seconds. I approached slowly, and placed my hand on Henry's shoulder.

"Is he…?" I began, but couldn't bring myself to say the word, a large lump forming in my throat. Silently, Henry squatted down and placed two fingers on the side of his brother's neck.

Henry was still for a long time before turning to look up at me. His eyes were red, rimmed with tears.

"Is-"

"He's gone," Henry said, his deep voice cracking. My hand trembling, I pulled him up by the arm and hugged him. It was his turn to cry. I stood there for a long time and simply rubbed my hand over his back as he sobbed uncontrollably. When, at last, Henry's crying subsided, I looked down at Tyler, lying there on the porch with his nose smashed backward into his face. I shuddered, disturbed by the realization that he'd been alive just minutes earlier. And then, a second realization: the person who'd raped me, the one who'd ruined my life, had just been served justice. Violent and sudden it may have been, but it was justice none the less.

"What're we going to do?" Henry whimpered.

"Where are your parents?"

"My mom's working, and my dad's inside sleeping." He replied.

"Get Tyler inside, and then tell your dad. I'm gonna go get the Commander."

"Okay," Henry replied weakly, unable to think of a better solution. I squeezed his hand reassuringly and sprinted off, my heart racing at the realization of what had just happened. _Tyler Rost, the man who raped me, is dead._

* * *

><p>When I returned with the Commander, who wasn't happy to be interrupted during lunch, Tyler was lying on the floor inside the house. Henry's father sat in a folding chair beside Tyler, and Henry paced about behind his father, whimpering under his breath with a sickened, fearful expression on his face. Henry's father was stone-faced and red-eyed.<p>

"Rost, what's going on here?" the Commander asked, glancing from Henry to Tyler to Henry's father, who explained what happened in brief words.

"He's really freaked out, sir," I told the Commander, nodding my head to Henry. The Commander bent beside Tyler and, with a grim expression on his face, turned Tyler's head from side to side as he examined his crushed nose.

"I'm no doctor, but I'd say the force of that hit jammed his nose back into his brain and killed him."

"An awful way to die," Henry's father mumbled. The Commander stood up and strode over to Henry, who stopped pacing at his approach.

"Why'd you hit him? What provoked the attack, if anything?"

"He made a joke about raping Adriana." Henry replied, his eyes glancing my way. The Commander turned and looked at me.

"Is this true?" he asked, anger filling his eyes. I nodded.

"Tyler was the one who raped me," I confessed, releasing a massive weight off my chest that I hadn't realized was there. Henry sucked in a deep breath; he'd already known, but hearing it aloud for the first time evidently brought back fresh pain. The Commander cursed under his breath.

"He was one of my best soldiers. It's always the best that go awry."

"I'm not surprised," Henry's father reflected, his eyes dull as we stared at his broken son. "He's been staying away from home a lot lately. Today was the first time we've seen him in three weeks." The Commander's frown deepened.

"He was the traitor," I said, going stand beside Henry. I put my arm around him for comfort, leaning my head against his shoulder. Nobody spoke for a few minutes.

"It was accident. He was on a work order to fix a fence beam on the southern end of the colony and when his harness snapped, he landed face down on the concrete at the base of the fence. I found him while on a leisurely morning stroll." The Commander said, breaking the tense silence. I stared at him incredulously.

"_You're going to lie about his death_?" I asked. The Commander nodded gravely.

"The situation is too messy. I don't want word to get around." He replied. "For his family's sake, and yours, it doesn't need to be known who raped you." Hearing the Commander justify lying about a death made my skin crawl, but I understood the implications that would be presented if people knew it had been Tyler who raped me. His family would be looked down upon, and I would face criticism for dating the brother of my rapist, whether or not it mattered that we'd been together long before the rape occurred.

"Can I tell my wife and youngest son?" Henry's father asked.

"Your wife, of course, but you may want to consider a higher level of discretion with your son." The Commander explained. Henry's father dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"What should we do now, then?" I asked. The Commander looked around at everyone when he answered my question.

"Get on with your life as normal. I realize it's a very morbid thing to ask of all of you, but it's necessary if we're going to contain this."

"What will we do with the body?" Henry's father asked.

"I'll get a rover and transport his body to the holding facility for military fatalities. We can work out the details of the funeral at a less…_delicate_ point in time." The Commander replied.

"Come on," Henry said quietly, putting his hand on my back. "Let's go." I followed him out the front door, leaving behind the horrible scene inside. I left eagerly, ready to _finally_ be alone with Henry, to talk to him as I hadn't been able to in six months.

* * *

><p>"I really am sorry for taking so long to find you," I apologized, my voice a mere whisper from my place beside Henry. It was evening, the setting sun coloring the sky above us with vibrant shades of red, orange and gold. We were on the outskirts of the orchard, in the unmaintained part where green-gold waves of grass grew three feet high and the roots of large, gnarled trees interrupted the flat ground. It was the closest one could get to being in a forest while staying inside the colony. We were lying in the grass facing each other, talking and reconnecting and catching up after being apart nearly six months.<p>

"You don't need to apologize; you were helping your parents. That's commendable." Henry replied, smiling.

"I was really scared to see you again." I admitted.

"Why?" I shrugged at his question.

"It's hard to put into words. It'd been so long since I'd seen you, and after hearing about all the crazy stuff you did, I was afraid you would be a changed person." I replied. He chuckled and pulled me closer, putting his arms around me.

"Have I changed?" he asked. I nodded.

"When I saw you earlier today, I saw it in your eyes. It was a good change. You're happier."

"I had an epiphany a while back. I came to the realization that you've made me a better person." He replied. I cocked my head in confusion. Margret's words echoed in my head.

"I've made you a better person?" Henry nodded vehemently to my question.

"Let's face it; I was a major douche when we first met. In the last year, I've become _happier_. You're always happy, and I've embraced it. I feel better knowing that there's good in every day." He explained. I smiled, amused to hear him call himself a douche.

"You're fine, Henry. I wouldn't say you were a douche, just very good at making bad choices. If you were a douche, I wouldn't have been your friend." I told him, smiling again.

"Or girlfriend," Henry added. I nodded.

"Or girlfriend," I echoed. We fell quiet for a while, content with lying together, enjoying each other's company.

"There is one thing, though, that I'd like to know." Henry said after a while.

"What's that?"

"Back in the Sixer compound, why'd you blast me with that sonic?" he asked. I rolled onto my back in embarrassment, laughing uncomfortably.

"Oh, god, Henry. I'm so sorry about that." I apologized, causing Henry to laugh.

"I broke a couple ribs when I hit the wall," he said, laughing as I groaned with embarrassment.

"I'm such an idiot. I still can't believe that happened."

"Hey, don't worry," Henry replied, pulling me back over to him so we were touching again. "It was a mistake. Happens all the time."

"An nearly-insane girlfriend blasting her perfect boyfriend with a sonic gun underground while he was trying to save her? Happens _all_ the time." I told him, laughing. He rolled his eyes good naturedly and kissed me briefly.

"Ya know, I really missed you, Adriana." Henry said, smiling. I smiled back.

"I missed you, too." I replied, kissing him.

"Are there really words to describe this?" he asked. I shook my head.

"None that aren't cliché and a smidge generic. How 'bout 'I love you'?" I suggested, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"That's the most cliché and generic of them all," Henry replied. I hugged him closer and breathed in his comforting smell before leaning up to kiss him again.

"I'm just glad we're together again." I told him, resting my head against his chest.

"You don't realize how long I've waited for this." He told me.

"Are you sure? I was kidnapped and held hostage for three months, dude. Plus two months of rehab with a scientist in the jungle." I said, chuckling.

"You've got a point," Henry replied, leaning in to kiss me again. And again. And again. And again. Each kiss was longer and sweeter than the one before.

Quietly, the sun completed another day on Earth, dipping behind the hills, leaving us in a world of golden air filled with love.

**That's it. It's done. This has been over a year and a half in the works, and it's finished. If you're reading this, I hope you've enjoyed my story, because it's without a doubt my most extensive story, and the only one I've ever completed finished. . I want to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to read this encouragement and feedback means the world.  
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**It's been a crazy ride, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I have big plans for this story, so stay tuned. Next Monday, I will post the epilogue. I'll be announcing some really cool stuff, then, too, so keep an eye out for my next update!  
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**A word of warning: _this_ story might be over, but it is only the beginning for Adriana.**

**Thank you for everything.**


	41. Epilogue

**Greetings, readers, for one final update on this story. I know it's pitifully short, but I'd rather it be short and meaningful than long and less meaningful. Make sure you read my note at the end when you're done with the epilogue; it's got some important details!  
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Epilogue

Time passes without opinion, never stopping for one person or speeding up for another. There is a point in every human's life where they finally come to realize what truly is most important to them. Money, fame, glory—for some, it's a trivial pursuit that fills them with happiness. For others, like Adriana Prevot, it is the desire to do good in the world and simply _be happy_. Her desire to see the good in each day, to see what makes life worth living, is what drove her survival. She knew that if she could see the good in every day, each day would be better. Happier.

Life, like time, continues on without opinion.

* * *

><p>"<em>Stupid, stupid fool. She's an incompetent idiot."<em>

"_I told you we shouldn't have chosen her to lead the project."_

"_She was perfect at the time."_

"_She killed herself."_

"_It doesn't matter now. What's done is done."_

"_What's next, then?"_

"_We bide our time. Give them a few years to settle into routines. Let them think it's over, that their lives will finally be normal. Then we'll implement the Returning. We'll quell their attempts at stopping us. We'll cut off the head of the snake—no, they're not snakes; they're bugs. Bugs under our feet."_

"_Hopefully ants, easy to eliminate."_

"_Hopefully not cockroaches. Those bastards can survive anything."_

"_Indeed they can. We'll make sure they're ants. I promise you that."_

"_Make sure it's done, and there'll be a generous pay increase in your future. I promise you that."_

**With the end of this epilogue comes what will likely be the last time I post on fanfiction. I will be making a moved over to fictionpress,com which is fanfictions's cousin for original works of writing. Here's the reason why (and major news): I have decided to take One Step at a Time to a whole new level by re-writing it as an original work of my own. **

**Sans-Terra Nova.**

**I'm sure some of you will be disappointed, but it's what I feel is best for the story. What I want to do is take the next 3-6 months to revise and edit the story to be more concise and fluid. I'll be honest: I had no idea what the conflict of the story would be until January or February of 2013, and the proof is in the pudding. By then, I'd already written about 2/3 of the story, and it wasn't until I changed my mind on the final plot once or twice that I really got to work on the story arc with the kidnapping. There are a lot of inconsistencies in the plot that need to be re-shaped and I firmly believe it will make my story more marketable. I will be posting the updated story as it comes along over on fictionpress, so make sure you check it out!  
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**I also plan on changing the name of the story. It doesn't seem relevant to the plot any longer and is a little long-winded. I have a few ideas for new names, but I want to hear YOUR name ideas! Leave your ideas in a review or PM them to me!  
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**Additionally, I am very pleased to announce that I will be writing a SEQUEL! I've already begun the process of planning (I'm gonna actually KNOW what will happen in the story before I start!) and even now I'm writing scenes out in my head. I'll tell you guys now: it's going to be badass! I don't think I'll begin posting chapters until I've gotten a ways through editing One Step.  
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**I would link my fictionpress profile (same username, ramfan), but the doc won't save an actual URL in a document. Take this URL and replace the commas with periods to make it an actual URL, and you should be good: www,fictionpress,com/u/922757/ramfan**

**But anyways, since this'll probably be my last update on fanfiction, I want to again say thank you for your continued support. Whether you've been following my story since the beginning or just discovered it yesterday, your words of advice and encouragement did wonders. I will always write, and I hope to hear from all of you in the coming months on fictionpress.  
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**For a final time here on fanfiction, thank you.  
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